Category Archives: Concrete

An essential part of our infrastructure that does not last, especially roads due to the rebar that rusts and expands

Climate change may corrode concrete even faster

[ I’ve paraphrased and shortened this article about how climate change will corrode concrete faster in the future from increasing carbon dioxide levels, and in coastal cities, from the chloride ions in sea spray. After that is the introduction section … Continue reading

Posted in Bridges, Climate Change, Concrete, Dams, Roads | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Climate change may corrode concrete even faster

Dams: last 100-200 years, make floods worse, an environmental disaster, most will soon be past their lifespan

Failing Dams in the news: 2017-2-23: America’s Aging Dams Are in Need of Repair. New York Times. 2017-2-20. California Dam Crisis Could Have Been Averted. A dismissed lawsuit to strengthen the dam because of climate change effects predicted catastrophic flooding.  … Continue reading

Posted in Dams | Comments Off on Dams: last 100-200 years, make floods worse, an environmental disaster, most will soon be past their lifespan

Homeland Security and Dept of Energy: Dams and Energy Sectors Interdependency Study

[Below are excerpts from this 45 page document. Dams not only provide power but also water for agriculture, drinking water, cooling water for thermal power plants, ecosystem health, fisheries, and so on.  All dams have a finite lifespan of 50 … Continue reading

Posted in Dams, Energy Production, Interdependencies | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Homeland Security and Dept of Energy: Dams and Energy Sectors Interdependency Study

Biggest Waste of Wealth in All of history: America’s Interstate Highway system

A book review by Alice Friedemann of: Swift, Earl. 2012. The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways. Related articles $46 Trillion Infrastructure in USA, $6 Trillion is Transportation Expressways & … Continue reading

Posted in Concrete, Infrastructure Books, Roads, Transportation, Transportation Infrastructure, Trucks | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Biggest Waste of Wealth in All of history: America’s Interstate Highway system

Why is modern concrete falling apart?

Here’s more information from Courland’s book “Concrete Planet” and other information I found on the web since I wrote Enough energy after Peak Oil to rebuild and repair concrete infrastructure? Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory has been trying to figure out … Continue reading

Posted in Concrete, Infrastructure & Collapse | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How long will concrete last if it isn’t maintained?

As energy grows scarcer and is devoted to growing food and other life-support services, our infrastructure will crumble. Bob Holmes. 12 Oct 2006. Imagine Earth without people. NewScientist.com Lack of maintenance will spell an early demise for buildings, roads, bridges … Continue reading

Posted in Concrete, Infrastructure & Collapse | Tagged , | Comments Off on How long will concrete last if it isn’t maintained?