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What is concrete corrosion and how to avoid it?

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What is concrete corrosion and how to avoid it?

Concrete structures, although they seem to be durable, are exposed to water and various chemical reactions in the air. Gaps and losses appear, the protection of reinforcement elements is drastically reduced and the structure gradually loses its durability. In order to prevent this from happening or to stop this process early, it is necessary to anti-corrosion of the concrete. Adequate techniques are available to protect the concrete surface well. However, before any of them are used to ensure anti-corrosion of concrete, hydrojetting is necessary, i.e. cleaning the concrete with a stream of water under high pressure.

The most important thing is to clean the substrate – hydroblasting

In order for the substrate to bind well with the preparation and for the concrete to be effective against corrosion, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the substrate. However, we are not talking about a simple rinsing with water. Here, industrial cleaning with the use of hydrodynamics is necessary, i.e. hydrojetting, otherwise known as hydroblasting. Cleaning is done with a water jet with a pressure of 1,000 to 2,800 bar, sometimes with the addition of abrasive. Hydrojetting, and more specifically the water pressure generated from a suitable pressure unit, reaches every crevice and micro-cavities, rinses out impurities, tears off debris that have lost their adhesive properties, removes old paint residues, degreases and dusts. And only then, on such a cleaned surface, concrete anti-corrosive substances can be applied.

Concrete anti-corrosion methods

When the substrate is hydrojetting, you can start applying anti-corrosion concrete. There are several methods, and the selection of the appropriate one should depend on the prior recognition of kinetic factors that affect a given object and accelerate the corrosion of the concrete structure. Today’s construction chemicals offer a wide range of possibilities, and the anti-corrosion of concrete is becoming more and more effective. Why do this? There is a vivid opinion among French professionals that concrete needs a “T-shirt” to work just like everyone else. This means, no less than that, that it is better to protect and prevent than to overhaul or replace.

In concrete anticorrosion, accuracy is important, i.e. thorough cleaning, i.e. hydrojetting and thorough coating of the entire surface, and between these stages, thorough filling of the resulting losses. Concrete is secured by painting, by spraying or by hand, using heat-shrinkable bands or cold band protection. A well-chosen method, applied on a precisely cleaned substrate, is a brilliant anti-corrosion of concrete, ensuring durability for years.

Hydrojetting in practice – pressure surface cleaning
Waterjetting, large-scale surface cleaning