Concrete Durability

A concrete structure is considered to be of adequate durability if it performs in accordance with its intended level of functionality and serviceability over an expected or predicted life cycle.  Durable concrete must have the ability to withstand the potentially deteriorative conditions to which it can reasonably be expected to be exposed.

Concrete deterioration can be due to adverse mechanical, physical, or chemical causes.  It is often the case where one or more deteriorative mechanisms are at work by the time a problem is identified.  In fact, in terms of deterioration of concrete due to physical or chemical causes, the mobility of fluids or gases through the concrete are nearly always involved. The overall susceptibility, or penetrability of a concrete structure, especially when compounded by additional environmental or exposure challenges, is the key to its ultimate serviceability and durability.

Low porosity/permeability/penetrability of concrete to moisture and gas is the first line of defense against: corrosion of steel embedments and reinforcements, carbonation, acid attack, sulfate attack, alkali-aggregate reaction, and efflorescence to name a few of the most prominent concrete ailments.

Factors Influencing Durability of Concrete

1. Shape and the bulk of concrete
2. The cover to the embedded steel
3. The environment
4. The type of cement
5. The type of aggregate
6. The cement content and the water-to-cement ratio
7. Workmanship