Czech Ww2 Concrete Fortifications: Corrosion Processes and Remediation Method Based on Crystallizing Coating

Abstract

Concrete is a relatively new structural material, hence the remediation of concrete structures is very rare. There are a lot of concrete fortifications in the Czech Republic, which were built just before WW2. These bunkers formed a long defensive line along the Czechoslovak borders as a protection against Hitler’s army. Today, after 80 years, many of the bunkers are listed as Czech national technical monuments with a strict protection of their historical authenticity. The article describes the technical survey and the possible conservation method of a selected concrete fortification, which exhibits a number of moisture related problems. The studied two-storey, heavily fortified bunker is situated close to the northern border of the Czech Republic, former Czechoslovakia. A detailed survey of the building includes the analysis of the interior environment parameters and laboratory testing of the used concrete. A long-term diagnosis identified the main problem, which lies in the inhomogeneity of the used concrete and the relating massive water ingress. However, the monitored bunker currently does not serve as a military structure and, therefore, a simple solution to improve the internal environment was suggested on the basis of the conducted measurements. With respect to the main causes of failures, the authors suggested a conservation method based on using a crystallizing coating. The suitability of the method was first verified under laboratory conditions and then also on the real bunker.

Properties of Czech WW2 Concrete Fortifications after 80 Years

“…An extensive experiment and numerical simulation on this topic performed Pazderka et al, 2016. The problem with massive water ingress can be solved by using modern crystallizing coating (Pazderka et al,2019). On these two examples we can see that the issue of defensive structures gains its importance, therefore the theoretical investigation and field in-situ survey are also significant and important.…”

Study on Permeability of Concrete Fortifications from WW2 Based on Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry

“…Present paper follows previous experimental works focused on the structural diagnosis of former Czechoslovakia fortification system [5,6]. The paper studies the porous system of existing fortification structures and derives its permeability based on results from mercury intrusion porosimetry.…”