Concrete Problems Today are Multifactorial – Root Causes
Hamid Khan, Brand Manager – Concrete Durability, Parchem Construction Supplies Pty Ltd
Regular and planned asset maintenance is vital for reinforced concrete structures. Such maintenance should not be a ‘cosmetic repair’ but rather a proper root cause analysis that must be carried out to identify and understand the actual source of the problem. Material selection is an important step in asset maintenance and refurbishment projects though only after the root cause has been addressed. Conducting proper root cause analysis in restoration and refurbishment projects will prevent one from falling into a vicious cycle of ‘repairing the repair’. A study conducted by Jingmond and Ågren (2015) has highlighted the importance to look at the root causes of the defects in concrete from the organisational perspective as well, instead of only at the operational level.