Definitely not! As long as there is uncured calcium (free lime) in the concrete there’s scope for service life to be extended.
Your concrete is old? Don’t knock it down, just add life to it! There may be many more years left in that concrete than you think.
Why is aged concrete a problem?
Concrete corrosion is slow, and we all know that when the corrosion of steel reinforcing opens up cracks from within, allowing more moisture in, opening the cracks up faster, and round and round it goes.
You generally don’t notice it for a few years though, and this is why people get a surprise and think that something has just recently happened to the structure, when it has actually been deteriorating from Day 1.
Yes, you can add life to concrete from Day 1.
We strongly encourage, and believe, that you should take the right steps from when you plan your pour, and spend on proactive protection to avoid having to pay up to 125 times more for remediation/replacement (De Sitter’s law of fives).
More about that here. (A great podcast, by the way!)
But wait, there’s more…
How come the Romans’ concrete has lasted so long?
Here is a great read, for that question.
When concrete hydrogel treatment was discovered, and consequently developed, it took advantage of a principle that the Romans used, by stimulating (denser) concrete in the treatments, by the introduction of tiny particles of silica.
So back to the remediation…
‘Then,’ you think, ‘why don’t we just fill the cracks?’
Ah ha! That’s just the thing! We can help micro-cracks to fill themselves!
Most crack-sealants are not made of exactly the same material as the concrete; they may be cementitious, but include other elements.
Hydrogel technology, on the other hand, enhances concrete’s inherent self-healing capabilities. It induces the formation of further CSH within the concrete without the introduction of foreign compounds.
This treatment needs uncured calcium (free limes) to react, and the treatment, containing catalytic colloidal silica, reacts in the concrete with the available moisture, to turn it into gel. This gel is, effectively, now part of the concrete. Why?
Concrete is bound together by CSH that forms between the cement particles: Calcium-silica-hydrates. The hydrogel reacts to duplicate CSH within the micro-cracks.
We have just added durability to the structure without damaging it.
That’s why we call it ‘Adding Life to Concrete!’
With remediation works, normally it is because the reinforcing steel within the concrete has started to corrode that cracks appear. The catalytic treatment is literally drawn in by the concrete and fills the cracks that have enlarged from within.
Facing challenges with your concrete structure? Contact our friendly team today!
Free download: CIVIL-TECT® system which utilises this treatment for durability and remediation.
Photos by: Simon Shim on Unsplash. And Mark Smith, CEO of MARKHAM
