Carbonation and historical buildings made of concrete

Abstract

The most ancient buildings made of reinforced concrete encountered in the field of historical monuments date back to the beginning of the 20 th century. Carbonation, inducing a corrosion of the rebars, is the main weathering mechanism of those edifices. Even if largely studied, this decay phenomenon remains quite complex, field studies being sometimes in contradiction with theories on carbonation progression for example, as high depths of carbonation can be reached within 50 years. Several case studies of buildings of different ages will illustrate the complexity of the carbonation development, strongly linked to environmental conditions, but also to concrete performance.