Deteriorated Concrete Panels on Buildings at Sondrestrom, Greenland.

• Main Author: Korhonen,C
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1984
• Subjects: Ceramics; Refractories and Glass; Civil Engineering; *REINFORCED CONCRETE; DAMAGE; PANELS; BUILDINGS; WALLS; AIR FORCE FACILITIES; DETERIORATION; THERMAL STRESSES; GREENLAND; Sondrestrom Air Force Base; PE62730; AST42; WU006; Greenland
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA142595; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA142595

On 22 July 1983 a dozen reinforced concrete buildings, built in 1954 at Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland, were examined to determine why their concrete wall panels were cracked, spalled and rust stained. The investigation determined that structural and thermal movements caused most of this deterioration. Very little freeze-thaw deterioration was evident on the outside, but the most serious problem was that of frost damage within the wall cavities fed by moisture from the inside of each building. The visible surface defects can be repaired with breathable patching materials, but to achieve long-term success and to minimize wall-cavity frost damage, vapor migration through the walls must be properly controlled.