ABSTRACT

The definition of the characteristics of RA and of the final product they are used for are strictly described in documents as standards, regulations, guides or business references. Drafted and applied at various levels (International, European or local level), these documents are made to specify the requirements, to describe the methods, to ensure the provisions are achieved and to guarantee the good behavior of the final product. In Europe, in Asia or in America, the framework is quite the same but the specifications can vary depending on the history of use of RA and on the final destination. In Europe, works made with the EC (European Community) and the CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) allow countries to have a common basis with the Construction Product 558Regulation and with product and test standards. Countries can draft and publish local standards to answer to national considerations. Furthermore, some other documents as guides can be drafted at a national level or business references, as private specifications, can be applied for specific works. Outside of Europe, as none organization as EC or CEN exist, each country had to develop its own normative corpus, with the exception of ISO (International Standard Organization). Product and test standards were drafted according to the ISO as European countries in CEN did. Documents can be similar but manners to consider the RA and to apprehend their uses and their behavior in the final concrete are different. Requirements are somehow different in terms of thresholds and codifications. Restrictions or authorizations of uses are also different. However, some specific topics are commonly shared as ASR (alkali-silica reaction), soluble sulfates; they can be considered as major concerns regarding the variability of RA.