Nashville 2018 Construction Monthly

SIGNIFICANCE
OF SUSTAINABLE
CONCRETE
INFRASTRUCTURE
By Basharat K
In the developed countries, the construction industry allocates
around 40-50% of the construction budget on rehabilitation
of existing concrete infrastructure. Maintenance,
repair, seismic retrofitting, and inspection constitute a major
portion of the rehabilitation cost. Concrete structures,
such as tunnels, water tanks, and bridges, are difficult and
costly to construct and maintain. Investments in new infrastructure
and in repair and maintenance of the existing
infrastructure are huge. The requirements for durability,
sustainability and productivity are increasing.
In the UK alone, more than 500 million pounds are
spent on the rehabilitation of structurally deficient
concrete structures. The rehabilitation process of
bridges and roads also involve heavy indirect costs. Maintenance
activities cause less disruption to road users if
they are carried out in a well-planned and timely manner.
The concrete reinforcement is one of the most crucial materials
that determine the strength and expected service
life of a structure. Traditional steel reinforcement, for example,
is not susceptible to corrosion which ultimately leads
to expensive repair and maintenance. Civil engineers have to
select the materials carefully as the requirements for longer
service life with minimum maintenance is increasing.
Widespread structural deficiency increases the constraints
on the materials to be used. At the same time, society is also
imposing environmental demands, and even if durability is
the most important environmental parameter for infrastructure
constructions, environmental issues are the main drivers
for the development of new materials. These new materials
include, for example, FRP reinforcement and cement with reduced
environmental impact.
DID YOU KNOW...
In the developed countries, the construction industry allocates
around 40-50% of the construction budget on rehabilitation of
existing concrete infrastructure.
18 CONSTRUCTIONMONTHLY.COM