Tell it to the Romans, who used concrete to build The Colosseum, which is still standing.
From E&E newswire – h/t to Marc Morano
Concrete’s life span is shortened by climate change — study
Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Climate change may reduce concrete’s durability, with long-term consequences for buildings, roads and bridges constructed with the common material, according to a recent study.
Matthew Eckelman and Mithun Saha of Northeastern University focused their research on how infrastructure in Boston will be affected by the most extreme climate change scenarios.
They predict about 60 percent of Boston’s buildings will have some structural deterioration by 2050. Eckelman and Saha published their study results in the journal Urban Climate.
“Starting in 2025 is when [we expect] to see the concrete cover on buildings start to fail, assuming they were built to code,” Eckelman said.
Concrete is considered one of the most solid structures humans have engineered. Modern concrete structures and roads are further reinforced with steel bars to make the material less brittle. However, over time both carbon dioxide and chloride ions seep into the concrete and corrode the steel bars, called rebar. This corrosion expands the concrete, destabilizing it. Eventually, the damage becomes visible when the facade of a building cracks or chunks of concrete break off.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is expected to increase with climate change, and Boston in particular is vulnerable to chloride because of its proximity to salt water.
Under current building codes in the United States, buildings’ concrete coverings have to be about an inch and a half thick for the structures to last three-quarters of a century. However, the researchers noted that these building codes don’t take into account how climate is likely to change over that amount of time. When climate change is considered, buildings built today will likely last between 50 and 60 years, roughly 25 years less than if temperatures remained the same, the researchers said.
Eckelman and Saha said the biggest effect will likely be higher construction costs to reduce corrosion, like adding 3 to 12 millimeters of thickness to buildings’ concrete cover. This could increase building costs by between 2 and 4 percent.
The buildings most at risk in the near term are those built in the 1950s and ’60s because they are built with weaker concrete.
The American Concrete Institute, which provides guidelines for setting building codes, is going over its standards while taking into account global warming (Kevin Hartnett, Boston Globe, Oct. 12). — NH
[i]60 percent of Boston’s buildings will have some structural deterioration by 2050[/I]
I am sure there will be structural deterioration of buildings in Boston in Boston over the next 36 years. It’s called lack of sea spray, entropy and lack of maintenance.
60 percent of Boston’s buildings will have some structural deterioration by 2050
I am sure there will be structural deterioration of buildings in Boston over the next 36 years. It’s called lack of sea spray, entropy and lack of maintenance.
60 percent of Boston’s buildings will have some structural deterioration by 2050
I am sure there will be structural deterioration of buildings in Boston over the next 36 years. It’s called sea spray, entropy and lack of maintenance.
Doh!!
Robert, my question on the ’60 percent will have’ statement was – What is the current percent of Boston’s building that already have structural deterioration?
OK This argument is as follows: time causes ageing
Who’d a figured?
Hmmm, is that why my hair is turning grey, and my wind machines need overhauls?
“Climate change may reduce concrete’s durability,…”
You’ve got to love it when the greens use the word “may” in the hypothesis of their pseudo science.
“May” implies anything could be true. So how about “The Elevated Roman Warm Period Temps May Have Caused Roman Era Cement To Be So Long Lived” as a title instead?
Or how about “Modern Global Temperature Stability The Past 18 Years May Cause Obama’s Ears To Grow Even Larger” after all it “may” all be true.
Last Winters extreme cold and snow caused excessive damage in the eastern half of the US, including tens of billions to to concrete roads. Chicago had its coldest Winter ever since records started in 1880. Detroit, it’s snowiest.
http://www.rejournals.com/2014/04/16/property-damage-from-winter-2014-can-emerge-in-spring-prepare-for-next-year/
But we found out last January from Dr. John Holdren, that global warming caused it:
“A growing body of evidence suggests that the kind of extreme cold being experienced by much of the United States as we speak is a pattern that we can expect to see with increasing frequency as global warming continues,” Holdren asserts. Watch it:
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/01/john-holdren-video-polar-vortex
It is idiotic to build concrete roads in areas with cold winters and extensive frost heaving. It has been tried again and again and it doesn’t work. Asphalt that is slightly resilient and much easier to repair/re-use is much better.
It’s Already Happening. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
http://kelsoindustrial.com/kelso-industrial-group/news/elliot-lake-disaster-a/
And look at the Colosseum! Pretty shabby condition. In fact, most Roman buildings are just ruins, now. Isn’t that PROOF of Climate Change?
“The buildings most at risk in the near term are those built in the 1950s and ’60s because they are built with weaker concrete.”
Are there any left? And if so, why haven’t they been knocked down already?
My local shopping area used to be called Piccadilly Arcade. This got knocked down and replaced with a mall. The mall got knocked down and replaced with a new (smaller) shopping arcade and apartments. This all happened in a span of 50 years.
I noted that no one made any mention of the quality of concrete used today versus that of about 50 years ago.
We replaced my mom’s back yard about 50 years ago, and only recently (last 5 years or so) noted hairline cracks, but nor heaving.
Mom had some front sidewalk replace about 5 years ago, and it’s already got cracks.
I’ve noticed the same on sidewalks poured within the pas 5 years arount new buildings where I work.
Don’t tell Dr Dave Viner about this because…..In the Future…..Children just aren’t going to know what concrete is…..
Post-tension anyone?
A lot of concrete fortifications were built in Europe in 1939-45, usually hastily and with substandard materials. They are dam’ near impossible to destroy even 70 years later.
Nearby I have one of the oldest major concrete bridges in Scandinavia. It was built in 1910 and has had minimal maintenance (the (metal) handrails have been replaced once). It shows virtually no signs of deterioration.
On the other hand the Öland bridge, built in 1967-72 has required repeated large-scale and very expensive repairs because slightly brackish water was used for the concrete “to save money”. It is chloride ions (=salt) that destroys concrete, not CO2.
What a bunch of garbage looking for a grant. The formation of the calcium oxide will most assuredly be the limiting chemical reaction. Not the reaction of CaO with CO2. More runaway global warming nut jobs.
This will be most fun to watch. MSCE Structural.
Oh no!!! The sky is falling. Think of the children….