3 ms·
> That commenter is doing a lot of gymnastics to avoid talking about reinforced concrete's hidden failures. It's difficult to determine reinforced concrete fail
by rumanator 7y ago
> That commenter is doing a lot of gymnastics to avoid talking about reinforced concrete's hidden failures. It's difficult to determine reinforced concrete failures before it gets bad, and repairing it is very expensive.
Care to elaborate? Concrete has already been extensively studied and has enjoyed widespread use, including under seismic loads. I don't understand how in this day and age where rc structures have been used for over a century there is any mention of "hidden failures".
- peterwwillis 7y agoConcrete in general can fail from simply being mixed poorly, which the slump and strength tests used on each batch are meant to address. But also additives can sometimes be added to concrete, which in some cases react with surfaces/chemicals over time and cause all sorts of problems. For reinforced concrete failures, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_concrete#Common_failure_modes_of_steel_reinforced_concrete https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_concrete#Common_fai... https://www.usbr.gov/ssle/damsafety/risk/BestPractices/Chapters/V-1-20150422.pdf https://www.usbr.gov/ssle/damsafety/risk/BestPractices/Chapt... By the time there's spalling the reinforcement is already rusted and breaking up the concrete. Of course you can say "Oh but we know all that now, so just design it right and you're good!" Sure. Unless you make a mistake, in which case you won't know it until the structure is crumbling. And remember, "it's a monolith", so good luck with those repairs. I'm not saying CLT is better - but let's not kid ourselves, reinforced concrete isn't perfect. It's just cheap, strong, and easy to install.