Last post I spoke about the different ingredients that make up concrete and today I will talk about the lifespan of concrete and why it is labor-intensive overtime.
The average modern-day lifespan of concrete is a lot shorter than it was when Rome was built. On average concrete only lasts 50 to 100 years due to the material used for assisting in tensile stresses. This material is known as rebar made from steel. Eventually water finds its way into the concrete through tiny cracks. The water rusts the steel rebar from within, then starts to expand and crack the concrete.
In my past life, working in corporate America, I was on construction jobsite hired as an inspector. My job was to walk the existing site and survey the underground poured concrete parking garage structure for traces of spalling and exposed rusted rebar within the concrete structure. Because concrete fails from the inside out, damage can be hard to detect. If proper maintenance is not implemented, it can lead to awfully expensive repairs.
Check out this article that talks about the $6 trillion price tag needed to fix existing concrete infrastructure here in the United States. This is another major reason why we need to think greener and rethink our building materials and products used to build future cities and infrastructure.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios