Re-engineering Concrete

J Frank Jad

Most concrete failures do not begin with cracks, rust stains, or spalls.

They begin silently—inside the concrete—years earlier.

Forensic engineers are often brought in after repairs have failed. The surface may look intact, coatings may still be adhered, and patches may be relatively new. Yet corrosion is active, strength is declining, and deterioration is accelerating.

The root cause is almost always the same:

We repair what we can see—and ignore what is actually driving the damage.

The Most Misunderstood Mechanism: Electrochemical Corrosion Activation

Steel reinforcement does not corrode simply because water reaches it.

It corrodes when the electrochemical environment inside the concrete changes.

This shift occurs when:

·       Chlorides migrate through the pore network

·       Carbonation lowers alkalinity

·       Moisture creates ionic mobility

·       Oxygen enables anodic/cathodic reactions

Once the passive layer protecting the steel is destroyed, corrosion becomes self-sustaining.

At that point:

·       Corrosion products expand

·       Tensile stresses build internally

·       Microcracking forms long before visible distress

·       Bond and load transfer begin to degrade

This is not a surface problem.

It is an internal electrochemical system failure.

Why Traditional Repairs Consistently Miss the Mark

Most conventional repair strategies focus on:

·       Removing delaminated concrete

·       Replacing damaged material

·       Applying coatings or sealers

·       Blocking moisture at the surface

These steps address symptoms, not the mechanism.

What they do not do:

·       Neutralize chlorides already embedded in the matrix

·       Restore alkalinity at the steel interface

·       Modify pore structure or ion mobility

·       Interrupt corrosion currents outside patched zones

In fact, patch repairs often accelerate corrosion at adjacent reinforcement due to differential aeration—creating new anodic zones around the repair perimeter.

This is why owners experience:

·       Recurring spalls

·       Patch-on-patch repair cycles

·       Escalating maintenance costs

·       Declining structural reliability despite “recent repairs”

The Reality: Concrete Is a Chemical System

Concrete is not inert.

It is a reactive, porous, moisture-driven material whose long-term performance depends on:

·       Internal chemistry

·       Pore connectivity

·       Ionic transport

·       Electrochemical balance

If those conditions are not corrected, surface treatments are temporary at best.

How SURTREAT Fundamentally Changes the Outcome

SURTREAT does not attempt to “seal over” deterioration.

It changes the internal environment that causes it.

By penetrating the concrete matrix, SURTREAT technologies:

·       Interrupt corrosion reactions at the steel interface

·       Reduce ion mobility within the pore structure

·       Restore electrochemical stability

·       Densify and strengthen weakened concrete from within

·       Extend service life without increasing section thickness or dead load

Instead of isolating concrete from the environment, SURTREAT re-engineers the concrete itself.

This is why SURTREAT performs where traditional repairs plateau:

·       Under patches

·       Beneath coatings

·       In chloride-contaminated concrete

·       In structures already showing distress

Why This Matters for Owners and Engineers

The most expensive repairs are not the ones that fail visibly.

They are the ones that look successful—until the deterioration underneath reaches a tipping point.

The industry is beginning to recognize a simple truth:

If the internal chemistry remains unchanged, failure is only postponed—not prevented.

SURTREAT represents a shift away from cosmetic durability and toward true material rehabilitation.

Not repairing concrete.

Restoring it.

Re-engineering it.