TECHNICAL NOTE

BE PREPARED
- Is Surface Preparation for
Concrete Repairs a Fad?
Hamid Khan – Product Segment Manager – Parchem

Prior to the commencement of concrete determining the bond strength of Removal of Spalled Concrete:
repairs, the fundamental thing to the repair system, include exposure Most of the repairs require surface
consider is surface preparation. The conditions, properties of the repair preparation comprising of roughening,
amelioration of damaged concrete materials and concrete substrate to exposure of the aggregates and removal
structures involves many elements, name a few. of the damaged, delaminated and loose
from engineers, applicators and even concrete. Regardless of the type of
legal counsel. This paper details the Sawn Edges – Doing It Right deterioration, all weak, flaky, unsound
primary value of surface preparation, the First Time: and disintegrated concrete must be
for without good bonding no repair Saw cutting is used to delineate the removed. Defective concrete should
system can be expected to perform. perimeter of the repair zone. A disc be broken back to a sound and dense
type mechanical grinder is used for saw concrete surface. Prior to the removal
Repair Material to Concrete cutting the edges along the perimeter of any spalled concrete from a load
Substrate – An Alien or a of the repair area. The right angled bearing structure, certified shoring
Monolithic Bond: saw cut to a depth of 10-15mm is must be provided to the structure. The
In European standard (EN1504- recommended to avoid any feather removal of concrete usually starts with
10:2003), the term bond refers to the edging and it should not be deeper than saw cutting the repair boundaries.
adhesion of the applied material or the reinforced concrete cover. Saw cut The deteriorated unsound concrete in
system to the concrete substrate. Hence, squared edges help contain the repair the centre of the repair area is then
adhesion has an underlying importance material. The saw cut edges should be removed. Breaking out and the removal
in the repair of concrete structures. roughened slightly by a needle gun or of concrete progresses from the centre
Surface preparation of the concrete hacking, as a polished vertical sawed outwards towards the edges. The next
substrate is considered to be the most face may result in poor bonding. step is to remove the concrete near the
crucial step in a concrete repair project. edges without damaging the sound
A poorly prepared surface will result in The geometry of the repair area should concrete at the interface.
the weak association to the repair zone, be in simple square or rectangular
no matter how proficient the applicator shapes. Sharp acute angles and re- The extent of concrete removal depends
or expensive the repair material might entrant corners should be avoided on the extent of damage. Concrete may
be. The repair material when applied, (Figure 1). Some concrete repair field be removed by impacting methods
should not act as ‘an alien body’ to the installers usually form excessive or using power tools (Figure 2 and 3), or
host concrete substrate, rather, it should tortuous edge conditions as they try by hydro-demolition such as water
become an integral part of the existing to closely follow the geometry of the blasting and water jetting. The most
concrete restoring the structure to its distressed concrete. Such complex and commonly used concrete removal
original monolithic strength. Lukovic zigzag edge conditions often result in techniques are impacting methods such
et al., (2012), in their paper “Reliable shrinkage stresses leading to cracking. as hand held percussive equipment,
Concrete Repair – A Critical Review”, Where saw cutting is not possible due pneumatic breakers, chipping hammers
highlighted that the composite system, to smaller areas, chipping tools should and scabblers where repeated striking of
by the integration of the repair material be used to remove concrete, ensuring a concrete surface with a high powered
with the existing concrete forming a that the edges of the repair area are cut tool to break the concrete is employed.
monolithic bond, would allow uniform perpendicular to the substrate. Whenever unsound concrete is removed
transfer of stresses in the system. using impacting methods such as
percussive power tools, the surface
It is pointless to exert efforts to achieve Delaminated, Incorrect Recommended of the concrete might exhibit micro-
good adhesion to a weak friable cracked areas layout layout cracking or bruising that will form a
substrate as failure of the concrete weak plane acting as a ‘bond breaker’.
surface is imminent in such cases. It is recommended that the remaining
Similarly, a sound surface might result concrete should therefore receive
in poor adhesion if the surface is not additional cleaning and preparation
properly prepared. The good bonding using wet sandblasting or water jetting.
of repair material to the existing To avoid any micro-cracking of the
substrate predominantly relies firstly concrete substrate, hydro-demolition
upon, the mechanical bond of a well or abrasive sand, shot or water blasting
prepared substrate and secondly, Figure 1: Concrete Repair Geometry. sometimes become the preferred choice
upon the chemical bond amid the Source: ACI Webinar, 2013 for contractors.
repair materials. Several other factors

p.34  CORROSION & MATERIALS

 TECHNICAL NOTE

Figure 5: Steel cleaning and splicing by

lapping after removal of concrete.

manually by using hand or mechanical

wire brush and emery paper to reach
and clean behind and between the
rebars. Exposure of steel reinforcement
must also continue along its length
until non-corroded steel is reached
and continued at least 50mm beyond
to show sound rust-free steel. If the
Figure 4: Concrete substrate is ready steel has lost more than 25 percent of
Figures 2 & 3: Impacting Method - Removal to receive repair materials after final its cross-sectional area due to rusting,
of deteriorated concrete by jack hammer. surface cleaning. splicing of reinforcement bars should
be carried out by butt welding the
Concrete Surface Cleaning – Avoid layer is mechanically weak, poorly bars with backing plates, lapping
Bond Breakers: bonded to the surface and must be the affected bars with supplemental
After removal of the deteriorated removed prior to any application. reinforcement (Figure 5) or by
concrete the exposed concrete substrate According to the American Concrete introducing coupler mechanical joints.
must be cleaned with high pressure Institute (ACI 546), all weak, spalled, The reinforcement bars used in repairs
water washing, oil free compressed air severely cracked, damaged, and easily should conform to the requirements of
or other appropriate methods. Normal removable concrete should be chipped AS4671 and be of the same Grade
low pressure water washing at 15 MPa away from corroded reinforcement as the existing steel. An unbroken
or high pressure water washing at steel. All corroded steel in the repair coat of anti-corrosion zinc rich epoxy
35 MPa can usually be adopted to clean area should be fully exposed to full primer is normally recommended to
concrete surfaces that have already circumference and thoroughly cleaned protect the steel reinforcement within
been prepared by impacting concrete of all loose scale, corrosion deposits repair mortars.
removal methods. Though, some might and other contaminants. An old rule
consider it a redundant step, surface of thumb is that at least 20- 25mm of Bonding Agents – Bond Aiders
cleaning is crucial to attain the robust clearance around and behind rebar is or Bond Breakers:
bond between the repair material and required to ensure proper cleaning, There are number of repair failures
the substrate. Surface cleanliness is encasement and bond of repair recorded when concrete surface
a critical step in surface preparation materials, also complies with the preparation prior to repair is
after the concrete removal process, and requirements of ACI, AS, EN and neglected due to a false assumption
prior to the commencement of repair other standards. that poor surface preparation can
material application, as any dirt, debris be compensated by using a bonding
or loose particles can act as ‘bond If the deterioration of concrete agent (Bissonnette et al., 2012).
breakers’. Surface cleaning facilitates has been caused by corrosion of Engineers specify bonding agents as a
repair materials having direct contact reinforcement, the products of ‘belt and braces’ measure to enhance
with the host concrete substrate, corrosion must be removed prior to the bond at the repair interface,
increasing the surface contact area the application of the repair material, but it should not be considered by
and roughness of the surface, resulting or else the repair will be short lived. any means a replacement of correct
in enhanced bonding of the applied If the structural capacity of the surface preparation. Bonding agents
repair material (Figure 4). reinforcement is compromised due to provide an additional step and a
chloride contamination, it is essential layer that can create a weak plane if
Steel Reinforcement Surface to remove all rust from the steel the manufacturer’s instructions are
Preparation – Reaching Behind before proceeding. Steel reinforcement not followed. If the bonding agent is
and Between Corroded Rebars: should be cleaned to achieve a surface allowed to cure prior to the application
On steel reinforcement there may preparation equivalent to AS1627 Part of the repair mortar, it would rather
be the problem of corrosion. This 4, Class 2.5 or Part 2, Class 2. The act as a ‘bond breaker’ than a ‘bond
normally takes the form of rust. preferred method is abrasive blasting aider’, causing failure of the repair.
Initiation of corrosion and de- (SSPC-SP 10/NACE No. 2) or water Sprayed repair mortars, in particular,
passivation of reinforcement is only jetting (Vaughn O’Dea, 2011). do not require bonding agents as the
possible in the presence of water, shotcrete process exhibit excellent
oxygen and corrosive agents such as Exposed reinforcement in smaller bonding characteristics by itself
chlorides and carbon dioxide. The rust repair sections can be cleaned (Figure 6).

May 2017  www.corrosion.com.au  p.35

 TECHNICAL NOTE

areas of repair should be examined to prepared. The intent of this article

ensure there are no embedded electric is to promote precise specifications
conduits, sockets or utility connection for surface preparation rather than
lines that might get damaged during taking a broad generic approach. The
concrete removal. All effective measures conventional approach of surface
should be adopted to ensure the safety preparation for concrete repairs such
of the structure and workers are not as to ‘clean and sound’ should be
compromised by repair activities. avoided. This commonly used phrase
is too ambivalent to specify the correct
Surface Preparation Testing level of surface preparation. There is
The tensile pull-off adhesion test of the a need to go beyond the boundaries
existing concrete should be conducted of a ‘clean and sound’ approach. Field
as part of the condition evaluation technicians and installers are the
report. To ensure that the surface cornerstone in any concrete repair
preparation procedures were followed project. They must be provided with
as per the specifications, the pull-off thorough technical training to enhance
strength of the prepared surface prior their skills. Surface preparation will
to repair application is measured. ICRI often be pivotal in determining the
Guideline No. 210.3-2004, “Guide to overall performance and durability
Figure 6: Sprayed repair mortar application . Using In-Situ Tensile Pull-off Tests to of a repair. A successful repair means
Evaluate Bond of Concrete Surface that the resulting multi-layer system
Materials” is followed by most engineers. acts monolithically, ensuring long
Drunken Concrete – A Safe In case of a significant deviation of the service life. Proper attention to surface
Compromise: pull-off strength of the prepared surface preparation is essential to achieve a
When repairs are to be carried out using from the tensile strength of the existing robust bond between repair materials
cementitious mortars, the surfaces must concrete, the result should be examined and the existing concrete substrate.
be pre-wetted to achieve a Saturated by the engineer for additional surface Only a strong bond will lead to a strong
Surface Dry (SSD) condition after preparation. Such benchmark criteria and durable repair. If you want to get
cleaning in order to avoid host concrete would allow the engineer to establish the most out of the repair materials,
absorbing the moisture from the repair and specify the realistic adhesion then be prepared to prepare!
mortar that is in fact required for its strength requirements for the on-site
hydration. Although, the term SSD is repair condition. References
somewhat subjective, yet many experts American Concrete Institute, 2013,
consider it a ‘safe compromise’ for pre- To prequalify the quality of a repair, “Field Guide to Concrete Repair
soaking the concrete. If the concrete it is vital to evaluate the quality of Application Procedures”, ACI webinar
is dry and ‘thirsty’, pre-soaking is of surface preparation and eventually
utmost importance. The concrete the durability of bond. This is done by Bissonnette, B., Vaysburd, A.M. and
should be thoroughly pre-soaked conducting the direct pull off test on von Fay, K.F., 2012. Best practices for
so that the concrete is ‘drunk’ with a representative sample area for the preparing concrete surfaces prior to
water. If the substrate is not pre-soaked cured in-situ repair material. This step repairs and overlays (Report No. MERL
thoroughly, the rate of movement of surface preparation testing would 12-17). US Bureau of Reclamation
of water from the repair mortar to verify the tensile bond strength of the
the host concrete will be high due to repair material and the existing host EN 1504-10:2003, Products and systems
the moisture imbalance between the concrete. During the course of the for the protection and repair of concrete
adherent ‘substrate’ and the adhesive project, surface preparation needs to structures - Definitions - Requirements
‘repair mortar’. In the SSD condition, be periodically validated using tensile - Quality control and evaluation of
the substrate is damp and saturated but pull-off test method, benchmarking the conformity - Part 10: Site application
does not contain any free water on the engineer’s specifications and the values of products and systems and quality
surface. Free water at the surface must obtained during prequalification of the control of the works
be avoided as it can impair the bond at reference sample. VicRoads, Standard
the interface due to increased shrinkage Specifications, Section 689 suggests Lukovic, M., Ye, G. and Van Breugel,
leading to lower material strength and that the mean adhesion or pull off K., 2012, July. Reliable concrete repair:
reduced bond strength. strength to concrete substrate at 7 days A critical review. In 14th International
should not be less than 0.75 MPa, with Conference Structural Faults and Repair,
Surface Preparation Safety – Be in no individual result less than 0.65 MPa Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, 3-5 July 2012
Control of Potential Hazards: for substrate mode of tensile failure
The effect of the concrete removal within existing concrete substrate. Reny, S., 2013. Surface Preparation for
on the structural integrity prior to Bond values for shotcrete and form- Shotcrete Repair. Shotcrete, Spring 2013,
the commencement of removal of and-pour repairs typically exceed pp 28-30
existing deteriorated concrete, must 0.75 MPa and, in most cases exceed
be thoroughly assessed. In case of 1.0 MPa. The ACI 503R and VicRoads Vaughn O’Dea, 2011, “How to Handle
removal of spalled concrete or damaged Test Method RC 252.02 are commonly Exposed Rebar when Repairing
reinforcement of structural elements, used standards for pull-off testing. Concrete”, Surface Preparation of
precautionary measures must be Concrete Substrates, A JPCL eBook
employed by providing temporary Conclusion:
support. During the concrete breakout The best of repair materials, despite VicRoads, 2010, “Cementitious Patch
and removal process, dust and debris the best of mixing and application Repair of Concrete”, Section 689
should be contained so as not to pose practices, are destined to fail unless Standard Specifications
any hazard to the stakeholders. The the concrete substrate is properly

p.36  CORROSION & MATERIALS