Much of Great Britain’s critical infrastructure for managing extreme weather phenomena is made from concrete, which is an exceptionally hard-wearing and versatile material, but also needs to be repaired quickly when damaged to avoid potential exacerbation of damage.
The seawall at Stokes Bay that was damaged after Storm Eunice has recently been repaired in preparation for any potential storms that hit the Gosport area.
Concrete is an exceptionally robust material, and can be weatherproofed and even potentially used underwater, but it is also a material that becomes particularly vulnerable once damaged and exposed due to its porous nature.
The most notable example of this is cracking, which can start small and expand to become a structural threat but includes erosion, water ingress that leads to damage via the freeze-thaw cycle, and corrosion of reinforcing steel rebar.
Generally, damage to concrete starts small, and if it is spotted early can be fixed through patching, spraycrete and other less intensive methods of repair.
Typically, this starts with a thorough initial assessment of the damage, primarily looking for potential structural weaknesses that have been exposed or corrosion of reinforcing elements.
Next, the damaged area needs to be intensely cleaned to provide a suitable adhesion surface before the cracks are repaired using an appropriate material, be it spraycrete, epoxy injections, sealant or dedicated repair mortar.
Following this, the surface is then sandblasted to create an abrasive surface that helps ensure the new repair materials properly adhere to the existing concrete.
Once the final application is made and the structural integrity of the concrete is confirmed, the surface is finished to appear seamless, creating a uniform look and texture.
Ultimately, time is of the essence, but this cannot come at the expense of safety or proper planning; if a job cannot be done properly or safely, it should wait until it can, with alternative mitigation strategies put in place to buy more time if necessary.