Past and present techniques of self-healing in cementitious materials: A critical review on efficiency of implemented treatments

Abstract

Concrete is being extensively used in construction industry worldwide because of its availability and affordability but it is vulnerable to crack formation. Because of cracking concrete's durability reduces due to ingression of chloride and water which corrodes rebars in reinforced concrete. Moreover, frequent inspection and maintenance of concrete structures is hectic and costly. Therefore, self-healing techniques are known methods to cease cracking and regaining the strength and durability of concrete. This study discusses available self-healing techniques and agents/materials by highlighting their applications, criticization and performance in various published studies. Based on this review, geometry and size of cracks have an important role in selecting self-healing techniques and agents/materials, however, encapsulation of chemical healing agents shows more effective results due to better reaction between un-hydrated cement particles and healing agents/materials.

Keywords

• Concrete
• Crack formation
• Durability
• Maintenance
• Self-healing agents