Characterization of Concrete Exposed to Marine Environment

Abstract

Concrete can be found in various types of environments during its service life. Marine environment is one of the most aggressive and complex due to its diverse actions and variable nature. Achieving designed service life with the least embodied energy for materials production, construction and maintenance of marine structures is an important task. To meet the criteria of economy and environmental protection, concrete is made of locally available cements and aggregates. Additional benefits to reduce energy consumption but also to prevent landfills can be achieved if part of the cement is replaced with by−products of other industries. A research project entitled ''Concrete development for sustainable construction in the marine environment'' aims to develop an optimized concrete mixes for Adriatic marine environment. This paper gives the overview of activities planned to achieve that goal. The project focuses on the design of the composition of the concrete mix, striving for an optimally sustainable solution between service life, energy consumption and environmental impact.