Afterwards, crack sealing and chloride permeability of sealed cracks were evaluated for specimens continuously immersed or subjected to wet/dry cycles in a 16.5% NaCl aqueous solution. The influence of the exposure conditions on the compressive strength development and on its recovery in predamaged specimens was first analyzed.

In this context, an experimental program aimed at investigating the effectiveness of crystalline admixtures as healing stimulating agent in chloride-rich environments was carried out. The main problem in exploiting this methodology is related to its reliability. If a significant degree of crack sealing can be achieved, the physical properties of a cracked element can trend back to those of an identical uncracked element, which may also result in a slower penetration rate of aggressive substances. Researchers have found self-healing as a way to face degradation problems in chloride-rich environments. In the aforementioned situations, to avoid expensive repair activities, different protective systems, including, among the others, self-healing concrete, could be adopted.

The requirements on service life of reinforced concrete structures, as prescribed by design codes, may be difficult to be fulfilled in highly aggressive environments such as marine ones, in which premature degradation is most likely to occur.

7 days to die reinforced concrete