Title: Repair of Concrete in Tropical Marine Environment

Author(s): Guido W. Geymayr

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 65

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 527-556

Keywords: climate; concrete piles; corrosion; epoxy resins; humidity; marine atmospheres; protective coatings; repairs.

DOI: 10.14359/6371

Date: 8/1/1980

Abstract:
Although concrete in tropical marine environment is never exposed to freezing and thawing, high temperature and humidity accelerate corrosion of steel and deterioration of concrete. There are a number of other factors which make it difficult to obtain a durable concrete in tropical areas. These factors include quality of aggregates and workmanship, special design requirements for easy-to-build structures and problems related to the remoteness of many jobsites. Corrosion mechanisms are mentioned briefly, repair-methods are explained in detail, beginning with the removal of deteriorated concrete, the restoration of reinforcing steel, replacement of concrete with cement-bound mixtures or epoxide mortars to adequate surface protection. Epoxy mortar placemnt under water as a repair method for concrete piles is described in detail,using a fluid mix of a high-density epoxy compound, which is poured into suitable, recoverable metal forms and which has been in use for 5 years at the Maraven refinery in Punta Cardon,on the Paraguand peninsula, Venezuela.