ABSTRACT

The degradation of concrete structures with age is due primarily to weathering action, which deteriorates material properties of concrete. Degradation may be unexpectedly quick if used materials or the work performance have been of poor quality or the structural solutions erroneous or non-performing. Weathering action may launch several parallel deterioration phenomena whereby a facade is degraded by the combined impact of several adverse mechanisms. Degradation phenomena proceed slowly initially, but as the damage propagates, the rate of degradation generally increases.