Ageing of old and modern concrete structures – Observations and research

Ageing is an inherent feature of nature. Yet it seems to be a rather new topic in both science and engineering. The main reason for increasing attention for ageing as a topic is the growing awareness that, particularly in industrialized countries, ageing of our assets is a financial burden for the society and affects the overall sustainability of our planet. In this contribution, the urgency and challenges of ageing of concrete structures are addressed. The complexity of ageing problems will be illustrated by looking in more detail to the evolution in concrete mix design and the consequences thereof for the long-term performance of concrete structures. Emphasis will be on ageing of concrete infrastructure and justification of research on ageing phenomena.Keywords: infrastructure; sustainability; ageing; mix design; autogenous shrinkage; codes.