scope:

This guide discusses the important mechanisms of concrete deterioration and gives recommendations on how to mitigate or minimize such damage. This guide also addresses durability by first discussing the importance of mass transport and then addressing specific modes of attack in separate chapters. These include freezing and thawing, alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR), sulfate attack, aggressive chemical attack, physical salt attack, corrosion of metals and other embedded materials, abrasion, or a combination of these. Fire resistance of concrete and cracking are not addressed directly. Fire resistance is covered in ACI 216.1 and cracking is covered in ACI 224R and ACI 224.1R. While cracking does impact the durability of concrete in severe exposures, the different causes of cracking and their specific impacts are not discussed. Cracking is only mentioned in general terms regarding its impact on fluid ingress.