Concrete Repairs Sydney


Concrete spalling, also commonly referred to as concrete cancer, is a condition where the steel reinforcement imbedded within a concrete structure becomes exposed to a potential combination of water, carbon dioxide and chlorides and begins to corrode. Once corrosion of the reinforcement has started, surface cracks will gradually appear, which over time will progressively grow into larger cracks and ultimately burst open the concrete surface to expose rusted reinforcement. The bursting effect is simply the reinforcement expanding as it corrodes.

There are many factors which contribute to the premature deterioration of concrete due to spalling however the most common causes in the Sydney region include high pollution levels and the local costal environment coupled with poor construction techniques, which were unfortunately often employed in previous years where less was understood about the true requirements of reinforced concrete construction.

The coastal environment can be particularly destructive to reinforced concrete, particularly if the structure has not been carefully constructed to the stringent engineering standards. The reason for this is concrete is a porous material which has the ability to absorb moisture. In the Sydney region, moisture or water is often combined with other elements to produce carbon dioxide rich saline solution.  Once the concrete has absorbed this solution, the naturally occurring alkalinity within the concrete that protects the reinforcement from corrosion, begins to diminish. Over time the alkalinity levels will reduce sufficiently that the reinforcement will no longer be protected within the concrete and will become susceptible to concrete cancer.    

Spalling or concrete cancer can occur in almost any location within a steel reinforced structure however it is commonly found on the external edges and surfaces of buildings including balconies, concrete slab edges, plus external concrete columns and slab soffits where there is often a lesser thickness of protective concrete covering the steel reinforcement. 

Detriment due to concrete cancer can be easy to detect however the cause of the damage is not always obvious. Some of the key indicators include cracking or detached concrete, rust staining leaching out of the concrete surface, bulging concrete render and exposed sections of reinforcement in concrete structures.    

If you believe your property is suffering from any of the above mentioned key indicators, an inspection performed by an experienced structural engineer is required to confirm the existence of concrete cancer and to outline a specifically designed remedial solution to completely remove the concrete cancer from the structure. Concrete cancer is an extremely destructive condition which if left untreated could result in total structural failure.

MJ Civil are Industry leaders in treating structures suffering from Spalling or concrete cancer and have vast experience designing repair specifications for residential and commercial buildings throughout the Sydney region. MJ Civil can provide a detailed methodology and specification to safely repair the most extreme cases of spalling or concrete cancer and we also offer a supervision role for the resulting on-site remediation works and structural certification.

Apply Elegance to Engineering

Contact us today at MJ Civil to utilise our  engineering services. As a professional engineering firm, we take pride in every project we are involved in. Regardless of the size of the project or what you are looking to build, we can help in making sure that you get exactly what you want. Call today to get started on (+612) 9418 6568.

For further information refer the following links:

MJ Civil Services: Concrete Spalling
Concrete Balcony Defects
ACRA Identify Concrete Balcony "Death-Traps"
Concrete Balconies "Killers in Waiting"