Administration of Agreements for Durable Material Structures

Abstract

Concrete meets the needs of sustainability in terms of economic, environmental, and social considerations. The material  itself provides a wide range of benefits, including acoustics, vibration,  fire, thermal mass, durability, security,  sustainability,  air tightness,  and  flood  resistance.  For  many  years,  the  vast  majority  of  concrete structures  around  the  world  have  performed  satisfactorily,  but  progress  has  not  been  without  its  challenges. Quality control has deteriorated over time due to the use of poor quality ingredients, uncontrolled use of water in terms of both quality and quantity, poor quality shuttering, poor or no compaction, and inadequate curing. There  is  also  a  decline  in  the  level  of  standard  skill  among  the  Artisans  as  well  as  those  who  supervise  and accept  the  works.  While  older  structures  can  serve  adequately,  newer  constructions  are  showing  signs  of distress within a couple of years of completion. It is past time to pay closer attention to the fundamental issues. At  the  moment,  attention  is primarily  focused  on  environmental  attack,  which  is  significantly  reducing  the lives  of  many  concrete  structures  around  the  world,  in  many  cases  due  to  reinforcement  steel  corrosion. Deterioration  of  recent  concrete  structures  has  been  observed  at  relatively  faster  rates,  and  has  been attributed primarily to cracking.