Concrete spalling and cracking, sometime
referred to as concrete cancer, is caused by rebar corrosion and can affect
buildings and other concrete structures.
Once the steel reinforcing in a concrete slab begins to rust, the steel
rust can expand up to 7 times its original size and results in concrete being
displaced and getting flakey. As the
steel pushes the concrete away, it allows more water to come into contact with
the steel and compounds the problem.
Visible rust stains on the outside of the concrete or leaking, bubbling up stains from within the concrete are probably all signs of concrete spalling and can be a dangerous. The spalling can cause chucks of concrete to separate from a building or bridge and becomes a real hazard to any pedestrians or traffic passing by below.
The good news is that a group of
researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada may have found a
cure for concrete cancer. According to
their study, they have gotten good results with producing concrete using discarded glass. The
researchers report that “by partially replacing cement with polymer, fly ash
and glass powder, we were able to produce concrete that was more than 60%
stronger than what was previously believed possible.” They are looking to further test their
products but hope to eventually replace up to 25% of traditional cement
materials, mined from the earth with recycled glass.
One of the authors of the report, Shahria
Alam, an associate professor of engineering at the University, explains that millions
of tons of glass bypass recycling centers and end up in North American
landfills. Their goal was to make smarter
and “greener” building materials without having to take new resources out of
the ground.
At The Conco Companies, we are one of
the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of
quality services and products. Our
experience includes providing services for commercial, educational, parking and
other construction development as well as public works projects. We serve California, Washington State,
Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.
Source:
remedial.com.au/structural-repairs/concrete-cancer
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