News

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17 Aug 2018

Landlay building assessment team in Sydney explain the signs you may have concrete cancer in your building

Our building assessment team in Sydney explain that concrete in buildings is reinforced with steel and iron bars, or mesh. When this metal is exposed to air and water, carbonic acid forms, causing reinforcement to corrode.

Once corrosion begins, the steel support to expand, causing the surrounding concrete to crack, known as concrete spalling. This leads to a compromise of structural integrity.

Some of the common causes of concrete cancer and concrete spalling include:

• Poor waterproofing
• Salt-water chlorides for coastal properties
• Poor quality concrete and insufficient concrete cover
• Movement of the earth under the build leading to cracks

It vital to call in a professional when dealing with concrete cancer when you see some of these signs:

• Cracking or crumbling concrete
• Rust stains emerging from concrete or the cement render
• Bubbling concrete render
• Roof leaks in internal walls
• Concrete expansion

Be sure to tune in next week when our civil engineering consultants share some of the ways our team repairs concrete cancer.