Performance requirements for structural adhesives in relation to concrete strengthening

The elements of a concrete structure may require their load bearing capacit y to be restored or increased for a variety of reasons. Such structural str engthening may be achieved in a number of ways including the installation o f internal bonded rebars, reinforcement by external plate bonding, the addi tion of mortar or concrete and injection or filling of cracks, voids or int erstices. The standardisation of products and systems associated with the p rinciple of strengthening concrete structures falls within the scope of CEN Technical Committee 104 Sub-Committee 8. In particular, its Working Group 3 is concerned with structural bonding and the development of the specifica tion standard EN1504-4. The paper reviews the range of performance tests an d associated requirements for structural adhesives in the context of EN1504 -4. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.