Concrete is an important construction material widely used in roads, buildings, bridges and hydraulic structures such as dams and canals. Concrete is known for its strength and durability, but like all construction materials, it eventually deteriorates and needs repair where repair is broadly defined as replacing, restoring, or renewing of concrete or concrete surfaces after initial placement. Because concrete construction is so widespread, a large concrete-repair industry has grown up and now does about $20 billion/year business in the U.S. alone. The present course is concerned with concrete repair, specifically including methods for evaluating the condition of the concrete in a structure, determining causes for any deficiencies found, and choosing an appropriate method of repair. The literature on concrete-damage conditions and related repair techniques is vast, and this one-credit-hour course will discuss only a limited number of carefully selected topics in that literature. A brief discussion of possible causes of the collapse of the 12-floor beachfront condominium in Surfside, Florida, in 2021 is included.
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