The resistance of concrete structures against different kinds of environmental and chemical attack is important, as it defines the service life of the structures. Therefore, in the last few decades, there has been a tremendous flow of research literature in the field of concrete durability. Durability properties resisting deterioration processes such as corrosion due to chloride and carbonation attack, different chemical attacks, freezing and thawing, and alkali-silica-reaction in aggregates in concrete are the topics most discussed and studied by researchers. Additionally, the brittle nature of concrete could require additional technical solutions to guarantee the durability of reinforced concrete structures. The formation of large crack widths in conventional reinforced concrete is one of the major problems from a structural durability point of view, as it is well known that large cracks allow the fast penetration of gases and liquids into the concrete. Cracks in concrete structures are unavoidable because of the low tensile strength and the low deformability of conventional concrete. Nevertheless, fine cracks in cementitious composites have been shown to reduce the average ingress rates, which in turn have the potential to extend structural life until corrosion starts and reduces the corrosion rate. In recent years, new types of materials (e.g., high-performance cementitious composites, fiber-reinforced composites, engineering cementitious composites, strain-hardening cement-based composites, and nanoparticles-based composites) with potential applications in the protection of concrete structures have been developed. However, to meet the current strict building code requirements in many countries, these developments offer new outlooks that need to be explored and studied. Therefore, the principal objectives of this Special Issue are: To collect the knowledge on the recent developments in various types of cementitious materials that have superior corrosion resistance to equivalent steel-reinforced mortar and concrete under mechanical and chemical loads; To embrace the different durability measurement techniques such as new testing methods and modelling that have been developed by researchers. This Special Issue aims to collect relevant research papers or reviews reporting significant progress in the assessment and comprehension of concrete corrosion and degradation phenomena, in the presence of constant and variable loads.
Topics of interest are related to the properties and resistance of cementitious composites in aggressive environments, based on: Chloride- and carbonation-induced corrosion of rebars; Corrosion inhibitors; Cracking; Alkali-silica reaction; Freezing and thawing; Chemical attack; Concrete degradation modelling; Corrosion in fiber-reinforced cementitious materials; Nanoparticles-based coating/mortar for corrosion protection.