ABSTRACT
Abstract Concrete production methods and material compositions have changed radically during the last few decades. This change has partly been driven by a globally recognized crisis in concrete durability and partly by the need to justify the large investments in e.g. the infrastructure of the industrialized world by predictions of very long service lives of the structures. These predictions have been based on an apparently consistent modelling of deterioration mechanisms supported by assessment of material properties through laboratory testing of advanced concretes. Based on observations of the results of recently constructed major civil engineering structures it seems very probable that this approach has not been successful. As a consequence it may be expected that requirements to Quality Assurance and Quality Control may be considerably strengthened by the parties which are engaged in the funding of these structures and that requirements for more predictable and tolerant concretes will emerge. Keywords: Quality assurance, quality control, construction processes, durability, deterioration mechanisms, classification of structures, air entrainment, slump, compaction, high performance concrete.
