Repair, Retrofitting, Restoration and Conservation of RCC
Structural Enhancement & Rehabilitation
Retrofitting has always been used to restore structures to their original design capacity. Nowadays though structural enhancement are used for a variety of reasons such as Capacity Enhancement to support higher industrial production capacities, scarcity of land and higher FSIs for residential & commercial buildings, increased traffic density and loading class in bridges and such.
Corrosion Damage
Corrosion damage is a common kind of damage seen in constructions that are in constant touch with water or work in humid environments. But water and humidity’s debilitating effects can cause a plethora of problems. Honeycombing, excessive water to cement ratio, rusted reinforcements even before placing concrete, insufficient cover for steel from exposed concrete surface among others. Other factors such as poor workmanship and congested reinforcement in small concrete sections only exacerbate the problem.
Chemical Attack
It is a common enough occurrence for acids handled in industrial structures to spill on to concrete structural elements. The problem gets accentuated when these acids combine with calcium compounds present in hydrated cement to cause concrete disintegration. The problem is not limited to just acids, even salts such as chlorides and nitrates cause concrete deterioration and also affect the reinforcements inside concrete. Another chemical reaction concerns sulphates, particularly those present in sub-soils that are known to cause expansion and subsequent deterioration of concrete.
Explosion & Fire Damage
It is a common misconception that structures which suffer fire damage or explosions cannot be saved. While it is true that the damage can be severe, especially with the sudden expansion or collapse of structural members, fire-damaged structures in almost 90% cases can be successfully repaired and restored. This is often a more cost-effective solution than demolishing the structure and reconstructing it all over again
Seismic Retrofitting
Earthquakes are increasingly becoming an important factor to consider when it comes to construction, even in non-earthquake prone areas. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. As a general rule of thumb, the first thing to do to reduce earthquake disasters is to prevent building collapse. Hence, seismic retrofitting for existing structures that were originally designed with inadequate and old seismic codes is key. Other approaches include structural system modification, jacketing, base isolation and fibre wrapping.
Waterproofing Services
While ‘as strong as concrete’ is a common saying, it is paradoxical that concrete’s diverse nature actually makes it prone to a diverse range of threats. Aggressive substances such as sulphates, chlorides and a host of acids and alkalis are known to attack and adversely affect concrete. One of the simplest but best ways to protect concrete from this host of threats is to provide a protective coating and waterproofing, as long as they maintain basic properties of resistance to carbonation, chlorides, sulphate penetration, ingress of moisture and sufficient elongation.
