SHRP's program in Concrete and Structures has two major goals: increasing the durability of portland cement concrete in highway applications; and rehabilitation and protection of existing steel-reinforced concrete bridges subject to corrosion. In both cases, the research has been planned to result in tangible products that can be applied in the field immediately and have the potential to result in substantial savings in the construction and operation budgets of highway agencies. Many professionals involved in the design and rehabilitation of concrete pavements have identified the gaps in current knowledge and practice and have planned the research needed to fill them. Research contractors are executing those plans now. Through SHRP they will develop a number of products, including better techniques for preventing and repairing problems such as alkali-silica reactivity, freeze-thaw damage, and D-cracking; an improved quality control/quality assurance system, with emphasis on quicker, more reliable non-destructive tests; and better design guidance for use of admixtures and aggregates. In the area of concrete bridge components SHRP will develop diagnostic techniques for assessment of the physical condition of concrete bridge components. Techniques for repair and protection are to be developed. Three different types of approaches are being refined: 1) electrochemical repair and protection techniques 2) chemical corrosion inhibitors 3) improvement of conventional physical repair methods.
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