The concrete repair, protection, and strengthening industry is driven by deterioration of, damage to, and defects in concrete structures along with changes in use and code requirements. Over 500 million yd3 of concrete are placed every year in the U.S. Much of the concrete is custom-made for almost every job, using local materials of varying quality, some designs that are not standard, and accelerated construction processes that sometimes sacrifice quality in the interest of meeting a schedule. The annual cost to owners for repair, protection, and strengthening is estimated between $18 to $21 billion in the U.S. alone. The result is a repair industry that supports engineers, architects, equipment suppliers, material manufacturers, researchers, educators, testing companies, contractors, and lawyers. The explosive growth of the industry in the past 25 years has resulted in the need for many improvements in materials, design practices, installation procedures, contracting processes, QA/QC procedures, education, and more. These improvements are needed to improve service life and reduce costs and conflicts.
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