Concrete in the Construction Industry!

Concrete is used pervasively throughout construction these days. Its life expectancy and durability play critical roles in the sustainability of land development design. Certain locations, such as Australia, are particularly affected by environmental conditions that other locations do not have to consider. Blazing heat and coastal winds are amongst the conditions that substantially affect materials such as concrete. Both longevity and quality can be affected by the environment.

In Australia particularly there is a coastal chloride environment which accelerates the deterioration of concrete. The extreme temperatures there can also cause problems with the curing process as well as increase cracking. High salinity of certain soils in some highly populated areas such as Adelaide are also an influence. Problems are not just limited to environmental influence; the limited availability of aggregates that are both consistent and of good quality can result in a reduced quality of concrete being used in land development design. This means that that reduced quality concrete is being used to begin with. This will of course affect the regularity of the eventual need for upkeep.

Additionally, the very nature of Australian urban land development design creates infrastructure that can be problematic for concrete durability. The major cities extensively use land development design structures such as car parks and tunnels, which accelerate carbonation. Reclaiming land for infrastructure in areas situated by waterways can result in faster deterioration because of the soil types in these locations.

While Australia is making headway in its efforts to improve the building sectors consciousness of both durability and sustainability of concrete structures, there is a long way to go within the industry towards implementing land development design that improves these standards. Australia is heading in the right direction, with credible organisations starting to become involved in improving the general standards. Lobbying of government departments and presentation of research papers is taking place, but the surface is still only being scratched.

The latest technology is advocated for use in order to raise the durability of concrete used in structures that meet the challenges of the environment. Possibilities such as adding high tech admixtures when constructing new structures, or affixing coatings with these admixtures to existing structures, could reduce deterioration by restricting moisture movement. This can help restrict processes like steel reinforcement corrosion resulting from carbonation and chloride ingress, or the disintegration of concrete matrix's as a result of alkali-aggregate reactions. This can also be inclusive of reactions to other chemicals. High tech admixtures are beneficial in their provision of crack healing properties, resulting in more resilient concrete.

Overall the resulting reduction of future maintenance costs will have a beneficial impact on economic, social, and environmental futures.