Durability performance assessment of non-standard cementitious materials for buildings: a general method applied to the French context

Abstract

This letter focuses on the technical assessment of new products or systems in the Building sector before being placed on the market in the French and European context. In particular, it discusses the assessment of the durability aspect of innovative products or systems based on cementitious materials that do not meet specifications of standards. After a brief review of the regulatory context and existing assessment procedures, an example of method of assessment is proposed. There are six successive stages, from describing an invention to choosing relevant testing methods and assessment criteria. Thematic fact sheets describing the different kinds of known alteration for cementitious materials and associated performance assessment methods are presented. An applicant and an assessor are invited to expand the scope of their investigation in case of significant technological leap forward that involve the use of a product/system in a field of application that may not be covered by the current fact sheets.