Concrete Permeability and Durability Performance: From Theory to Field Applications

Durability and service life design of concrete constructions have considerable socio-economic and environmental consequences, in which the permeability of concrete to aggressive intruders plays a vital role.

Concrete Permeability and Durability Performance provides deep insight into the permeability of concrete, moving from theory to practice, and presents over 20 real cases, such as Tokyo’s Museum of Western Art, Port of Miami Tunnel and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao sea-link, including field tests in the Antarctic and Atacama Desert. It stresses the importance of site testing for a realistic durability assessment and details the "Torrent Method" for non-destructive measurement of air-permeability. It also delivers answers for some vexing questions:

• Should the coefficient of permeability be expressed in m² or m/s?
• How to get a "mean" pore radius of concrete from gas-permeability tests?
• Why should permeability preferably be measured on site?
• How can service life of reinforced concrete structures be predicted by site testing of gas-permeability and cover thickness?

Practitioners will find stimulating examples on how to predict the coming service life of new structures and the remaining life of existing structures, based on site testing of air-permeability and cover thickness. Researchers will value theoretical principles, testing methods, as well as how test results reflect the influence of concrete mix composition and processing.

Dr. Roberto J. Torrent is a researcher, consultant and partner of Materials Advanced Services Ltd. He held positions at the National Institute of Industrial Technology and Portland Cement Institute (Argentina), as well as at Holcim Technology Ltd. (Switzerland). For thirty years he has been directly involved in durability testing of a large variety of concretes, both in the lab and on site. In the 90s he invented the Torrent NDT Method for measuring air-permeability. He is a RILEM Honorary Member.

Dr. Rui Neves was formerly a researcher at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC-Portugal). Currently he is Professor in the Structures and Geotechnics Division at Barreiro School of Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal. His research efforts are mainly devoted to service life of reinforced concrete structures, with special emphasis on investigating and testing the permeability of concrete and rocks. He has carried out relevant consulting activity within the frame of concrete quality control, as well as inspection and appraisal of reinforced concrete structures.

Dr. Kei-ichi Imamoto is a graduate of Tokyo University of Science, Japan. He performed research at Tokyu Construction Co. Ltd. for nine years and is now Professor at Tokyo University of Science. He received the Young Researcher`s award from AIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan) in 2008, and prizes from Japan Society for Finishing Technology, Japan Concrete Institute and Suga Weathering foundation. He is very active in durability testing and service life assessment of concrete structures.