Epoxy mortars are increasingly used for patch repair and reinforcement against peeling and corroded concrete structures. This type of mortar has been successfully used to repair concrete structures, as it meets the main requirements for this purpose. It is essential to understand what is involved in the repair and restoration of concrete and masonry structures, as well as being able to identify the warning signs of a minor repair on the way to becoming a major investment. Bud Lampley, an infrastructure specialist at Simpson Strong-Tie, a leading manufacturer of structural connectors, suggests that the number one way to save money on concrete and masonry repairs is to budget for routine building inspections and ongoing maintenance right from the start.
Sika concrete repair mortars are suitable for restoration work, repair of flaked and damaged concrete in all types of structures, including buildings, bridges, infrastructure and superstructures. Concrete is an economical, durable, strong and basic building material that is often used in dams for core walls, spillways, fixed basins, control towers and slope protection. However, poor workmanship, construction procedures, and building materials can cause imperfections that later require repair. Any deterioration or long-term damage to concrete structures caused by the flow of water, ice or other natural forces must be corrected.
Failure to perform periodic maintenance and repairs of concrete structures as they occur could result in failure of the structure from a structural or hydraulic point of view. Various types of retrofitting methods for the repair and rehabilitation of faults in concrete structures exist. Gunite is a mechanically applied material consisting of cement, aggregates and water. Cement and sand are dosed and mixed in the usual way and transported through a hose with the aid of compressed air.
A separate pipe carries the water under pressure and the mixture of water-cement aggregates is passed and mixed intimately in a special collector and then projected at high speed to the surface being repaired. The repair is carried out by a combination of mechanical blocking by particles transported to the crack with water and the deposition of calcium carbonate from the cementitious material. Historically, polymer concrete has not been widely adopted due to the high costs and difficulty associated with traditional manufacturing techniques. However, recent advances have led to significant reductions in costs, which means that the use of polymer concrete is gradually becoming more widespread.
Repair mortars are specifically designed to restore or replace the original profile and function of damaged concrete. If left untreated, any of these warning signs could indicate significant damage to the building, so it's critical to establish a maintenance schedule to repair building imperfections as they arise. A damaged floor was repaired by overlapping two layers of epoxy mortar and then epoxy and finally applying an epoxy layer. They block the pores of concrete to reduce the absorption of water and salts or form an impermeable layer that prevents the passage of such materials.
It is nothing more than a conventional precast concrete, cured and dried in an oven or by dielectric heating from which air is removed in open cells by means of a vacuum process. In this regard, some of the techniques for repairing and rehabilitating concrete structures are discussed below. Sika offers a complete range of products to prevent further corrosion of steel reinforcement by adequately protecting the surrounding concrete. It should be emphasized that major structural repairs of concrete should not be attempted by the owner or people who do not have experience in concrete repairs.
If the concrete is not cured properly, the repair work, cost and time spent repairing the defective area are wasted. The use of carbon fiber concrete repair is also cost-effective, since the required repair time is much less compared to other methods, which minimizes the overall cost of the project. The steps involved in repairing concrete include: investigating the cause behind the defect in concrete; assessing the extent and severity of damage; assessing the need for repair work; selecting appropriate repair technique and materials; preparing for repair process; applying repair technique; healing repaired area; and obtaining qualified professional engineer with experience in concrete construction for design of large-scale repair projects.
