(Vancouver, Canada) — A recent collaborative effort between Kryton International Inc. and the University of Ottawa has led to groundbreaking research on alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete.
The research team included Kryton’s Technical Director Alireza Biparva and the University of Ottawa’s Assistant Professor Leandro Sanchez and graduate student Diego Jesus de Souza from the Department of Engineering. During their work together, they spent several years researching the use of Kryton’s self-healing technology for mitigating ASR distress in concrete. ASR is an expansive reaction of certain aggregates in the presence of alkali and moisture, which can lead to serious deterioration of concrete structures.
The research results proved to be very promising, suggesting that self-healing crystalline waterproofing admixtures could modify the kinetics of ASR once the reaction starts to damage the cement paste matrix. This modification would delay the deterioration of concrete, giving builders more time to intervene against ASR and repair the damage.
“It’s a critical step forward for the construction industry,” says Biparva. “After all, ASR is considered to be highly destructive to the durability and serviceability of concrete infrastructure and there has been little research done on how self-healing products could mitigate or eliminate that reaction.”
In the past, many considered the partial replacement of cement with supplementary cementitious materials to be a definitive method for preventing ASR. However, it’s come to light that this method only delays the onset of ASR.
“Now, we have research that indicates self-healing crystalline waterproofing could be an important tool for ASR mitigation,” says Biparva. “In the future, that could reduce the concern surrounding ASR and even lead to preventing it entirely. It’s an innovative research topic worth studying, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to do so with Leandro and Diego at the University of Ottawa. I look forward to continuing our studies on ASR and uncovering other possible ASR mitigation findings that may contribute to the resiliency of concrete structures.”
In the meantime, the research team’s current findings have been presented to the public at the annual conference for the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering in Whistler, Canada, and at the 16th International Conference on Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete in Lisbon, Portugal.
ABOUT KRYTON
Kryton International Inc. is the inventor of the crystalline waterproofing admixture and has been waterproofing concrete structures with their proprietary Krystol® technology since 1973. They have won awards for innovation, manufacturing, best place to work, and entrepreneurship, and they have expanded to offer award-winning concrete hardening and monitoring solutions. Kryton is an active member of the American Concrete Institute, International Concrete Repair Institute, American Shotcrete Association, and many other thought-leading organizations. Kryton exports their products to more than 50 countries globally.
Contact:
Kathy Fowler
Director of Marketing
Tel: + 1 604.324.8280 ext. 285
Email: kfowler@kryton.com
