Roberto Talotti

Background

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In recent years concrete repair and maintenance has become an important topic amongst civil engineers, in the design and construction industry. This can be attributed to the increase in the number of concrete structures reaching the end of their design life, often prematurely (Morgan,1996). The premature deterioration of structures may be a result of numerous factors including design, workmanship, materials used and environmental influences (Beushausen & Alexander,2009).

 

Concrete repair encompasses extending the servicability of a concrete structure susceptible to concrete deterioration. There are numerous repair methods that can be used in concrete repair. However, important decisons surrounding the compatibility between the repair material and the existing substrate have to be made. Often the use of patch repair mortars is based solely on the strength properties of the material without taking into consideration other characteristics such as volumetric changes which play a vital role in the durability of the repaired member (Morgan,1996). The lack of consideration showed for these other characteristics have led to numerous repair mortars failing. Failure has occurred due to factors such as shrinkage, elastic modulus, creep and penetrability which have been previously neglected.