Published and Independent Research Papers
G-Group's leading work on investigating penetrating hydrogel performance for internally protecting concrete structures, both existing and new, is having a huge impact across concrete structures including wharves, bridges and buildings.
​The current wall of deteriorating reinforced concrete structures is very apparent in USA. Extending the life of existing reinforced concrete structures is now critical on economic, climate, and environmental grounds.The main drivers have been:
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Deterioration is occurring faster than expected, often in multiple forms
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Limited funding and growing demands for more infrastructure
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Maintenance has often been “second cousin” to new works
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Insufficient focus on halting costly deterioration before it is well advanced
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Many maintenance and repair practices are not delivering
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Producing cement is negatively damaging our climate.
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Incipient Anode Formation (IAF) and Penetrating Hydrogel Technology
The hypothesis is that the area of repair (anode) is excavated, and the rebar repaired or replaced, and a fresh patch repair concrete is used to provide rebar cover. The repair concrete with its higher alkalinity and removing of chloride ions from the repair zone actually reverses the potential difference thus forming a cathode and encourages a new anode (corrosion deterioration zone) to occur nearby to the new repair.​
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Base view of 50MPa, 50mm slices, indicating moisture movement through the untreated (left), and restricted moisture movement through the treated (right)
Investigation into the use of hydrogel treatment on existing concrete structures
that may have inadequate or minimal cover
Inadequate and minimal cover is directly related to premature deterioration. In particular, coastal and de-icing salt environs accelerate this deterioration. Penetrating hydrogels offer a solution by decreasing the permeability of the cover concrete and increasing the tortuosity, effectively immobilising the moisture movement within the cover concrete and beyond the rebar. This paper outlines the testing of concrete slices and compares hydrogel treated concrete to untreated concrete in terms of various cover depths, concrete strengths, and water pressures.
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Results show that the flow rate of treated concrete is on average about one-quarter of that of untreated concrete. There remains a wide scatter in the collective results. Nevertheless one can be 95 percent confident that the flow rates are reduced by at least one-half.​
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Sulphate Attack
Sulfate attack of concrete is a complex process, which includes physical salt attack due to salt crystallization and chemical sulfate attack by sulfates from soil, groundwater, or seawater. Sulfate attack can lead to expansion, cracking, strength loss, and disintegration of the concrete
What are the symptoms of sulphate attack?
Symptoms of Sulfate Attack: When sulfate attack occurs, the deteriorated concrete becomes mushy, porous and weak and can be easily reduced to a noncohesive, sandy mass. Other symptoms include spalling of the concrete surface and rebar exposure.
What is a sulphate attack?
Sulphate attack is a degradation process in which sulphate ions strike the constituents of cement paste. Water-soluble sulphate-containing salts such as alkali-earth (calcium, magnesium) and alkali (sodium, potassium) sulphates, which are chemically reactive with concrete components, cause sulphate attack.
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We have a diverse range of publications.