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The repairs of building structures are inevitable and indispensable. Repairs are used to restore or maintain the usability of existing facilities, often contributing to the extension of their expected service life, increasing the sustainability of building resources. Given that conservation rules are observed, repairs are also used to save monuments. The concept of repair durability brings to the foreground the durability of the repaired structure (after repair): what service life has been obtained/recovered as a result of the repair. Based on the available data (limited set), a generalised distribution function of repair durability was developed, with a disappointing course. This, however, applies (necessarily) to the past. Significant progress was shown to have been achieved in the theoretical and technical fundamentals of technical repair measures. In this situation, a prognostic distribution function was also designed for future repairs according to EN 1504. A rule of thumb called estimating concrete repair durability, CRD was proposed. The risk associated with estimating the durability of repairs was indicated. A reason for optimism is that proactive monitoring of the condition of the structure and, consequently, management of the repair strategy allows to reach the designed life of the structure.

Enhancing concrete’s resilience against freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles is a critical challenge in civil engineering, especially in cold climates, where repeated freezing and thawing lead to structural degradation. This review explores the effectiveness of various additives, including supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and chemical admixtures, in improving concrete durability under F-T conditions. Factors influencing F-T resistance include the type and percentage of SCM replacement, the water–cement ratio, pore structure refinement, and air entrainment. The mechanisms by which additives enhance the durability—such as reducing the permeability, improving the microstructure, and increasing the compressive strength—are examined through an extensive review of experimental studies. The findings indicate that manufactured additives, such as silica fume, metakaolin, nano-SiO2, and graphene oxide, significantly enhance the F-T durability by densifying the concrete matrix and mitigating internal damage. In contrast, natural additives, including rice husk ash and zeolite, show potential but require optimization to match the performance of industrial SCMs. Additionally, the preparation and treatment methods of these materials play a crucial role in their effectiveness. This review provides insights into optimizing concrete formulations to enhance the longevity and sustainability, offering practical recommendations for the use of SCMs in cold climates.

The authors propose that purchasing luxury can be a unique means to engage in sustainable consumption because high-end products are particularly durable. Six studies examine the sustainability of high-end products, investigate consumers' decision making when considering high-end versus ordinary goods, and identify effective marketing strategies to emphasize product durability, an important and valued dimension of sustainable consumption. Real-world data on new and secondhand accessories demonstrate that high-end goods can be more sustainable than mid-range products because they have a longer life cycle. Furthermore, consumers engage in more sustainable behaviors with high-end goods, owning them for longer and disposing of them in more environmentally friendly manners. Nevertheless, many consumers prefer to concentrate their budget on multiple ordinary goods in lieu of fewer high-end products partly because of product durability neglect, a failure to consider how long a product will last. Although consumers generally believe that high-end products last longer, they fail to take such a notion into account when making purchases. Finally, this research offers actionable strategies for marketers to help consumers overcome product durability neglect and nudge them toward concentrating their budget on fewer high-end, durable products.

Monitoring water uptake in cementitious systems is crucial to assess their durability against corrosion, salt attack, and freeze-thaw damage. However, gauging absorption currently relies on labor-intensive and infrequent weight measurements, as outlined in ASTM C1585. To address this issue, we introduce a custom computer vision model trained on 6234 images, consisting of 4000 real and 2234 synthetic, that automatically detects the water level in prismatic samples absorbing water. This model provides accurate and frequent estimations of water penetration values every minute. After training the model on 1440 unique data points, including 15 paste mixtures with varying water-to-cement ratios from 0.4 to 0.8 and curing periods of 1 to 7 days, we can now predict initial and secondary sorptivities in real time with high confidence, achieving R² > 0.9. Finally, we demonstrate its application on mortar and concrete systems, opening a pathway toward low-cost and automated durability assessment of construction materials. Monitoring water uptake in cementitious materials is important to assess their durability. Here, the authors introduce a low-cost computer vision method to predict initial and secondary sorptivity in real time in paste, mortar, and concrete systems.

To evaluate the durability of bamboo fiber asphalt mixture using four gradation schemes, the durability of the bamboo fiber asphalt mixture is studied considering three aspects: ageing durability, freeze-thaw cycle durability and fatigue durability through the Marshall test, indoor ageing test, uniaxial compression test, low-temperature bending test, immersion Marshall test, freeze-thaw splitting test and four-point bending fatigue test. Nonfiber asphalt mixture and lignin fiber asphalt mixture were used as control groups. The results show that the addition of plant fiber can effectively improve the durability of asphalt mixture. Bamboo fiber modified asphalt mastic has good ductility and adhesion due to its rough surface and good oil absorption performance. Bamboo fiber asphalt mixture has better and more stable low-temperature ageing durability and moisture ageing durability than lignin fiber asphalt mixture, but its mechanical property is weaker than the latter. The improvement effect of the two fibers on the freeze-thaw cycle durability of asphalt mixture is basically the same. Bamboo fiber can improve the flexibility of the mixture and delay the development of cracks so that the mixture has good fatigue durability. The smaller the void ratio, the thicker the asphalt film, and the denser the structure of the mixture, the better the durability. The durability of the stone mastic asphalt (SMA) gradation mixture is better than that of asphalt concrete (AC) gradation. The material composition and aggregate gradation of plant fiber asphalt mixture have a great influence on its durability. In the future, it is necessary to establish a multiparameter comprehensive evaluation index system among fiber type and properties, mixture gradation and durability so as to realize the directional regulation of the durability of different fiber asphalt mixtures. Bamboo fiber is a reliable substitute for lignin fiber, and further research on improving its surface properties and dispersion uniformity can be carried out in the future.

Calcium carbonate is wildly used in cementitious composites at different scales and can affect the properties of cementitious composites through physical effects (such as the filler effect, dilution effect and nucleation effect) and chemical effects. The effects of macro (>1 mm)-, micro (1 μm–1 mm)- and nano (<1 μm)-sizes of calcium carbonate on the hydration process, workability, mechanical properties and durability are reviewed. Macro-calcium carbonate mainly acts as an inert filler and can be involved in building the skeletons of hardened cementitious composites to provide part of the strength. Micro-calcium carbonate not only fills the voids between cement grains, but also accelerates the hydration process and affects the workability, mechanical properties and durability through the dilution, nucleation and even chemical effects. Nano-calcium carbonate also has both physical and chemical effects on the properties of cementitious composites, and these effects behave even more effectively than those of micro-calcium carbonate. However, agglomeration of nano-calcium carbonate reduces its enhancement effects remarkably.

The quantification of long-term performance of mechanically/chemically treated problematic soils is still under discussion. Likewise, exploring the availability and use of eco-friendly and sustainable stabilizing admixtures is a parallel area of contemporary research. This paper presents the laboratory results of a highly plastic soil strengthened with xanthan gum (XG) biopolymer to determine its suitability as a suitable subgrade for pavements. The XG content varied from 0 to 5 percent, and the specimens were tested at different aging periods (0‒60 days). The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of soil strengthened with 1.5% XG content showed a considerable enhancement in strength by 314 percent, strength improvement ratio (SRI) increased by 8.3 times, and energy absorption capacity (Ev) by 1.4 times, resulting in a hard-quality subgrade for pavement construction. The compression (Cc) and rebound (Cs) indices were greatly reduced by 78 percent, as well as the swell potential parameters (percent swell (Sw) and swell pressure (Sp)) were decreased by 85 percent on average. The hydraulic conductivity of treated soil as well as the moisture-mass losses in freeze–thaw durability test was also found to be greatly enhanced with increased XG content. Aging time also plays a pivotal role in enhancing the strength and anti-deformation characteristics of stabilized soil up to 60 days. SEM coupled with EDX analysis proved the aggregation of soil particles by hydro-gelling effect of biopolymer, which helps in the improvement of strength and durability. Therefore, XG biopolymer has a promising potential as an alternative admixture for treating widespread fat subgrade soils.

Plastics have become an essential part of our daily lives, and global plastic production has increased dramatically in the past 50 years. This has significantly increased the amount of plastic garbage produced. Researchers have recently been interested in using trash and recyclable plastics in concrete as an ecologically acceptable building material. A large number of publications have been published that describe the behavior of concrete, containing waste and recovered plastic com ponents. However, information is scattered, and no one knows how plastic trash behaves as concrete materials. This research examines the use of plastic waste (PW) as aggregate or fiber in cement mortar and concrete manufacturing. The article reviewed the three most significant features of concrete: fresh properties, mechanical strength, and durability. PW and cement connections were also studied using microstructure analysis (scan electronic microscopy). The results showed that PW, as a fiber, enhanced mechanical performance, but PW, as a coarse aggregate, impaired concrete performance owing to poor bonding. The assessment also identified research needs in order to enhance the performance of PW-based concrete in the future.

The 21st century has witnessed a substantial increase in the demand for construction materials, mainly influenced by the growing population. This increase in demand has resulted in higher prices for these materials and has also placed considerable burdens on environmental resources, prompting the search for eco-friendly and economically viable alternatives such as geopolymer materials to replace traditional materials like cement. The benefits of geopolymer materials as substitutes for cement in concrete extend beyond their exceptional durability. Initially, geopolymer was introduced to address the environmental impact arising from carbon dioxide emissions and the substantial consumption of fossil fuels through the production of cement. The current review investigates recent advances regarding the durability characteristics of geopolymer materials. This includes aspects such as water absorption, temperature resistance, sulfuric acid resistance, sulfate resistance, chloride ion penetration, and freeze–thaw resistance, among others. The results of this review highlight geopolymer concrete’s enhanced durability over traditional cement-based concrete. Furthermore, this review offers recommendations and outlines potential research avenues for further exploration of geopolymer concrete.

This article discusses the results of research aimed at solving the problem of increasing the operational durability of dressed astrakhan fur in a fur coat. To solve it, an approach was chosen based on an understanding of the physicochemical processes occurring in the material under the influence of operational factors. The use of the developed method, which gives an unambiguous assessment of the material, made it possible to investigate the dependence of the durability of the material on the parameters of the technological process of its manufacture.