Concrete performance underpins any country’s essential services and economic activities. Even the best designed and built reinforced concrete structures need to be proactively maintained and repaired to ensure that they continue to add value over their lifecycles. Unfortunately, many concrete structures around the world are deteriorating prematurely.

It is against this backdrop that the seventh edition of the International Conference on Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting (ICCRRR) will take place at the Breakwater Campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT) from 4 to 6 November 2024.

Spraylock Africa and its Chattanooga, Tennessee-based principal, SprayLock Concrete Protection, will both be participating. Spraylock Africa will be exhibiting its innovative post-initial set applied colloidal silica (P3) solutions at the event. Brent Rollins, Vice President of Business Development of SprayLock Concrete Protection, LLC, Chattanooga, Tennessee will be presenting on this unique technology that is helping asset owners and operators to significantly prolong the service life of their assets.

Carl White, Managing Director of Spraylock Africa, says that the conference will again attract an international audience operating across the built-environment value chain to ensure that they at the cutting-edge of concrete repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting.

“It is critical that asset owners and operators; engineers; contractors; researchers, concrete technologists and students; in addition to participants in the large supply chain remain abreast of recent developments in material technology; construction methods; performance assessments; and non-destructive testing. This is in addition to design, specifications and guidelines, as well as service-life prediction models for new or repaired/rehabilitated structures. Sound knowledge of all these very relevant fields for modern civil and structural engineering supports good rehabilitation and retrofitting practices, as well as concrete durability and structural performance,” White says.

Organised jointly by the University of Cape Town’s Civil Engineering Department and Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, ICCRRR continues its strong international cooperation which has played a significant role in the resounding success of the conference over the years. This is by providing the foremost forum where international professionals can share their knowledge to improve the performance of concrete structures.

ICCRRR 2024’s programme combines about 120 technical presentations by reputable experts in concrete repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting, as well as concrete durability and structural performance from across the globe. Consisting of the latest research in new technologies and

methods, as well as case studies that demonstrate best practice in concrete repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting, the conference contributes a point towards Continuing Professional Development. Rollins’ presentation is definitely one of the highlights of this event. Titled a New Way to Design Durable Concrete: Concrete Capillarity Refinement and Contamination Purging with Post-Set Applied Colloidal Silica, Rollins will review investigation to repair of two parking garage projects in the United Arab Emirates. His presentation will include independent laboratory test results from before and after treatment with a spray-applied colloidal silica penetrating sealer. Rollins will also provide an in-depth account of each project’s exposure conditions and complete repair strategies.

Rollins is a leading international concrete specialist. Before joining SprayLock Concrete protection, he served as a university researcher and consultant for seven years. Prior to this, he worked in the ready-mix industry for 20 years. He also serves on several ASTM and American Concrete Institute committees and has published internationally on concrete durability and infrastructure resilience.

ICCRRR will also provide delegates with an opportunity for delegates to engage with representative of industry bodies and among the best suppliers of repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting products and services, including Spraylock Africa, at the coinciding exhibition.

The event includes a Technical Harbour Cruise, as well as a tourist programme for conference delegates and a conference dinner on a wine farm.

“Structural repair and rehabilitation accounts for about 50% of construction budgets in most developed countries. The global cost of corrosion, the lead cause of reinforced concrete degradation, is estimated to be US$2,5trillion. This is equivalent to 3,4% of global gross-domestic product. Regular and planned asset maintenance is vital to preserve reinforced concrete structures and, as our understanding of the causes of deterioration and how to successfully address them grows, it is imperative that we share this knowledge. The ICCRRR continues to provide such an opportunity,” White concludes.