ABSTRACT
Most engineers would agree that current UK codes of practice, ie BS 8110(3) and BS 8007(4), are generally adequate in their treatment of cover for exposures where carbonation is the dominant durability problem. There is an economical balance between cover and concrete grade. The main problem seems to come from the minimum cover requirement not being achieved. In all the structural investigations carried out by the Author into cases of surface spalling of reinforced sections, the problem was traced to a lack of cover, typically this was as low as 5mm and was rarely more than 20mm to links. The real problem does not directly lie with the cement type but with failings in the construction process.
