title: Data to support "A survey on problems encountered in current concrete construction and the potential benefits of self-healing cementitious materials"
Creators: name: Gardner, DR
name: Lark, RJ
name: Jefferson, A D
name: Davies, RE
name: O'Sullivan, W
name: Porter, J
name: Coleman, P
Publisher: name: Cardiff University
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Reinforced Concrete
subject: Cement and Concrete
subject: reinforced concrete sections
subject: self-healing polymers

description: This dataset presents the market research conducted as part of an EPSRC research grant. The repair, maintenance and replacement of civil engineering infrastructure attracts significant expenditure in the UK. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant number of existing and new concrete structures suffer from repair and maintenance problems, but a lack of objective construction industry supported data concerning these problems makes it difficult to establish, with any certainty, the actual problems encountered in current concrete construction in the UK. A market research exercise was commissioned to not only address this lack of data but explore the appetite and potential use of self-healing cementitious materials in the construction industry. The full market research results are found in the report (.pdf) which presents all of the data collected through the market research exercise. The separate excel files associated with the data are those which have been recreated from the data contained in the report to use for publication. The market research was conducted using a range of client, contractor and consultancy participants and the results are presented either in these categories or considered all together as an industry wide response. The data/report also contains comments from industry on a series of self-healing technologies. A summary of comments from a breakout session at a CIRIA/M4L conference conducted on behalf of the M4L research team is also included. For the main market research exercise the questions posed to the market were as follows:   Q1. To help us understand needs, firstly some general questions. Have you in the last 5 years had any of these client requirements which have influenced the performance requirements for the general material selection in your projects? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q2. Have any others of these influenced the approach to, design or use of concrete either in-situ or precast in the last 5 years?   Q3. Which of these issues with concrete structures have you experienced in the last 5 years? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q4. What type of structures have you found to be particularly vulnerable to these issues? (Free-text answer)   Q5. Have these issues been experienced during the.(i) Curing and setting time (ii) Early service life (iii) longer service life or (iv) Don't know   Q6. What has been the consequence of these issues? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q7. Thinking of your last 2 projects involving concrete structures or sub-structures, which of these issues or threats to the integrity of the concrete were taken into account in the design and or mix? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q8. Which is the most difficult or challenging issue to overcome?   Q9. Which of these performance enhancements have been built into the concrete design, specification or mix on your last 2 projects? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q10. What specific chemical deterioration did you take into account? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q11. On your last 2 projects, which of these measures did you use to provide protection to the concrete and reinforcement? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q12. You said yes to over-design of service loads, can you give an estimate of the percentage of the designed loading expected to be used in service?   Q13. Which would you say are the most common measures used to provide durability and protection to concrete structures within the civils projects in which you have been involved over the last 5 years? (selection from a predefined list and free-text ‘other’ option)   Q14. What in your view are the impacts of current approaches to prolonging the life of concrete? These could include environmental, social or cost factors. (Free-text answer)   Q15. Do you feel that issues with concrete being designed and used currently on your projects will, over the anticipated life, require: (i) A lot of maintenance (ii) Some maintenance (iii) Very little maintenance (iv) Some maintenance but don't know how much (v) Varies   Q16. What consequential effects will or could maintenance have, for example disruption to use etc? (Free-text answer)   Q17. Can you give some examples of the types of structures or applications where maintenance is particularly required?   Q18. And is there any particular part of the concrete structures with which you are involved where maintenance and repair could be required, i.e. it is particularly vulnerable? (Free-text answer)    Q19. Cardiff University and partners are working on a range of self-diagnosing and self-healing technologies which respond to and treat specific issues with concrete. These would be incorporated within concrete specifications and mixes. The research is at a stage where guidance is required from the market on the most appealing benefits and application of these techniques. From the key benefits listed which holds appeal, in principle? (selection from a predefined list)   Q20. Which holds the greatest appeal?   Q21. Assuming the product was fully tested and had appropriate certification, where can you see these features being used, and to overcome what issues or problems? (Free-text answer)   Q22. Taking into account the self-diagnosing, self-healing and more ductile benefits of the new technologies, again assuming full testing and proven use, in which of these structures or any others do you feel a self-healing concrete could have particular appeal? ? (selection from a predefined list)   Q23. Are there any specific applications or elements within those you have mentioned where self healing concrete may be particularly suitable? (Free-text answer)   Q24. Do you have any other suggestions for applications of self-healing concrete or project types where in principle the healing properties and more ductile material would be particularly suited? (Free-text answer)  Q25. If the new self-healing concrete cost 20% more than a standard concrete mix in materials cost only, but the cost to install remained the same, where would it most be of value to justify the cost? (Free-text answer)   Q26. What would be the main benefit to justify paying a premium? (Free-text answer)   Q27. Which of these benefits would you expect of a self-healing concrete, in principle? (selection from a predefined list)   Q28. Again in principle, assuming the material was proven in use, which would be the 1st, 2nd and 3rd in order of their benefit for you and your type of work? (Ranked list of Q27)   Q29. How important is it to you that any new concrete can be pumped and how important that it can be sprayed?   The new techniques are capable of introducing a range of new materials into the concrete, either on their own or in conjunction. These include: *Microcapsules which rupture in response to environmental triggers, to deliver chemical healing agents throughout the mix *Dormant bacteria which activate to seal cracks in response to water or chemical ingress *Synthetic polymers built into the Concrete which can be used to create compressive forces to close cracks *Flow networks which are a series of capillary like tubes built in to the concrete to allow the distribution of chemical healing agents and fillers when needed   Q30. Do you have any comments or reactions to these? (Free-text answer)   Q31. Do you have any points or queries to be passed back to the research team? All questions are welcomed. (Free-text answer)   Q32. Thank you. To help with our analysis can you confirm the type of structures in which you have been involved over the last 2 projects? (Free-text answer)