Degradation of Concrete Structures from the Climate Change Perspective

Abstract

The negative effects of climate change are underway despite the global efforts to mitigate them and the future scenario are unsettling. Climate change poses critical challenges to urban environments and highlights the need for research its impacts on the built environment. One of the most significant effects of climate change on reinforced concrete structures is associated with the carbonation of these structures. The increase of parameters such as temperature and carbon dioxide jeopardise the degradation of such structures by carbonation-induced corrosion. This paper presents the results of the monitoring and analysis of a set of buildings that determine carbonation as the main degradation mechanism of structures in Paraguay. Through the application of a previously developed carbonation model, the worsening of the carbonation-induced degradation has been determined after considering the climate change effects in the coming 50 years. The outcomes of the study determined that the poor quality of the structures in Paraguay cause premature degradation in them. Furthermore, considering climate change effects, it has been determined that this phenomenon could accelerate corrosion failure times in reinforced concrete structures.

Full document