Performance Of Concrete In Marine Environment

Marine Concrete Structures: Design, Durability and Performance comprehensively examines structures located in, under, or in close proximity to the sea. A major emphasis of the book is on the long-term performance of marine concrete structures that not only represent major infrastructure investment and provision, but are also required to operate with minimal maintenance. Chapters review the design, specification, construction, and operation of marine concrete structures, and examine their performance and durability in the marine environment. A number of case studies of significant marine concrete structures from around the world are included which help to reinforce the principles outlined in earlier chapters and provide useful background to these types of structures. The result is a thorough and up-to-date reference source that engineers, researchers, and postgraduate students in this field will find invaluable. Covers, in detail, the design, specification, construction, and operation of marine concrete structures Examines the properties and performance of concrete in the marine environment Provides case studies on significant marine concrete structures and durability-based design from around the world

Concrete has clearly emerged as the most economical and durable material for the building of the vast majority of marine structures. Reinforced concrete too has overcome the technological problems making it a suitable material for the construction of advanced marine structures such as offshore drilling platforms, superspan bridges and undersea tunn

This book reviews the marine environment, the composition and properties of concrete, history of concrete performance in seawater, causes of deterioration of concrete in the marine environment, selection of materials proportions for durable concrete, concrete practice and repair of marine structures.

Describing the nature of the marine environment and the effects of man-made structures on the behaviour of the sea, this books deals with hydraulic design, the material properties of concrete and the design and specification of structures for coastal environments.

Concrete and cement-based materials must operate in increasingly aggressive aqueous environments, which may be either natural or industrial. These materials may suffer degradation in which ion addition and/or ion exchange reactions occur, leading to a breakdown of the matrix microstructure and consequent weakening. Sometimes this degradation can be extremely rapid and serious such as in acidic environments, while in other cases degradation occurs over long periods. Consequences of material failure are usually severe – adversely affecting the health and well-being of human communities and disturbing ecological balances. There are also large direct costs of maintaining and replacing deteriorated infrastructure and indirect costs from loss of production during maintenance work, which place a great burden on society. The focus of this book is on addressing issues concerning performance of cement-based materials in aggressive aqueous environments , by way of this State-of-the-Art Report. The book represents the work of many well-known and respected authors who contributed chapters or parts of chapters. Four main themes were addressed: I. Nature and kinetics of degradation and deterioration mechanisms of cement-based materials in aggressive aqueous environments, II. Modelling of deterioration in such environments, III. Test methods to assess performance of cement-based materials in such environments, and which can be used to characterise and rate relative performance and inform long term predictions, IV. Engineering implications and consequences of deterioration in aggressive aqueous environments, and engineering approaches to the problem.

Concrete is commonly regarded as a mundane, prosaic material whilst the sea is perceived as a fearsome environment, endowed with mystery. Mystery stems from lack of knowledge, and to that extent both concrete and sea have something in common-we fall a long way short of knowing enough about them. Fortunately we have learned enough from our investigations and experiences to be able to set the limits within which we should operate. It is important for the engineer to seek to quantify the effects of the environment on materials and structures so that these can be made safe and adequately durable for their intended economic life. This is especially true for marine structures. Thus the primary purpose of this book is to provide a useful synthesis of the behaviour of concrete and concrete structures in the marine environment. An outline of the content of the book is provided in the latter part of the first chapter and so will not be anticipated here. The chief aim throughout, however, is to work as far as possible within a context of the appropriate governing physical phenomena, giving due consideration to the mathematical relationships between them. Moreover, without intending to be a design manual, an introduction is given to the sources of information which designers are likely to use, as well as to structural achievements. It is hoped that there should emerge an implicit integration between structure and constituent materials and the surrounding environment.