ABSTRACT
The subject of the book is alkali-aggregate reaction and the structural damage it causes to concrete. The occurrence of AAR has been reported from every continent and both north and south hemispheres. It is a world-wide problem in concrete technology. The emphasis of the book is on engineering assessment, diagnosis and repair. There are many published conference and journal papers dealing with AAR, and the number of authoritative and specialized papers has increased substantially over the past three decades. For example, the number of papers presented to the Fifth International Conference on AAR in Concrete in 1981 was 32. At the 12th International Conference in 2004, 162 papers were presented. However, most of this literature is concerned with scientific rather than engineering aspects of AAR, i.e.: its chemistry, the nature of the various reactions, susceptible minerals, chemical kinetics, and factors influencing them, as well as the prediction of AAR-susceptibility. These scientific studies have been essential for our understanding of the AAR phenomenon and have assisted the cement and concrete industries to improve the performance of cement and aggregates and items made of concrete and to eliminate the use of marginal materials that may be AAR-susceptible.
