What Testing Shows

What Testing Shows

Across multiple structures and independent evaluations, Surtreat TPS II repeatedly demonstrated measurable changes in concrete behavior.

Corrosion Inhibition

At NASA Kennedy Space Center, half-cell potential measurements shifted dramatically after treatment, indicating movement toward passive rebar conditions. Corrosion current and polarization resistance measurements similarly suggested formation of a "super-passive" state on embedded reinforcement.

Field measurements included:

  • Windjammer Condominiums: 86% improvement

  • Shipps Landing: 70% improvement

  • Suddath Parking Garage: 120% improvement

  • Korean Construction Materials Institute: 63–64% improvement

Importantly, half-cell values near -200 mV indicate approximately a 90% probability of no active corrosion, while readings beyond -300 mV indicate a high probability of corrosion activity.

That distinction matters.

Because stopping corrosion—not patching over it—is what determines long-term service life.

Concrete Strength Improvement

Surface-applied chemistry traditionally is not expected to increase structural properties.

Yet testing repeatedly showed otherwise.

Capo pull-out and compression testing demonstrated:

  • PA Turnpike: 58% increase

  • Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge: 67% increase

  • Boeing Long Beach: 62% increase

  • NJ Turnpike: 120% increase

Core compression testing demonstrated:

  • Laboratory specimens: 100% increase

  • Deteriorated Korean concrete: 37% increase

  • NY Thruway structures: 26% increase

This aligns with the core Surtreat premise:

Change the chemistry and the substrate changes with it.

Reduced Permeability: Protecting Concrete From Future Attack

Concrete durability is largely controlled by its ability—or inability—to resist water and contaminant migration.

Testing showed substantial reductions in permeability:

  • PA Turnpike: 98% reduction

  • Seymour Johnson AFB: 95% reduction

  • New Jersey Turnpike: 91% reduction

  • Rand University: 85% reduction

Water column testing showed:

  • 100% reduction after 14 days

  • 77% reduction after 28 days

Lower permeability means:

✓ Reduced moisture migration
✓ Reduced chloride transport
✓ Lower corrosion potential
✓ Increased durability

Because concrete deterioration begins when contaminants move through the matrix.

Changing the Chemistry of Concrete

Perhaps the most unusual finding is not strength gain.

It is chemical modification.

Testing showed:

  • Acid reactivity reduced from violent surface reactions to little or no reaction after treatment

  • Surface pH increased significantly—edges increased from pH 5 to pH 9 and center regions increased from pH 9 to pH 12.

Higher alkalinity helps restore steel passivation.

That means Surtreat isn't merely blocking damage.

It helps restore conditions that reinforce durability mechanisms already built into reinforced concrete.

Independent Military Validation

At U.S. military facilities in Okinawa, corrosion inhibitor systems incorporating TPS technologies were evaluated on reinforced concrete structures suffering corrosion-related distress.

Measured outcomes included:

  • Corrosion reduction of approximately 60–86%

  • Water permeability reduction approaching 89%

  • Estimated service-life extension exceeding 10 years

  • Calculated ROI of 12.9

The project concluded that chemical inhibitor systems significantly reduced corrosion and extended structure life.

Those findings later contributed to broader acceptance and specification work supporting use of surface-applied corrosion inhibitor technologies.

The Shift Infrastructure Owners Are Beginning To Make

The industry historically focused on:

  • Demolish

  • Patch

  • Coat

  • Repeat

But infrastructure owners increasingly recognize a different question:

Can the substrate itself be improved?

Because if concrete chemistry can be modified—

If porosity can be reduced...

If corrosion can be slowed...

If strength can increase...

If service life can be extended...

Then preservation becomes more than maintenance.

It becomes asset optimization.

Call to Action

Your structure may already be changing internally—even if the surface looks acceptable.

The question is not whether deterioration has started.

The question is whether you will wait until it becomes visible.

Surtreat surface-applied Ion-Exchange Densification technology offers owners, engineers, and asset managers an opportunity to move beyond symptom repair and toward measurable life extension.

Stop treating concrete deterioration at the surface. Start changing what is happening inside.

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THE EQUATION THAT CAN PREDICT CONCRETE LIFE