Impregnations
Impregnations are partially-film-forming products designed to both reduce the capillary uptake of water by the concrete, as well as increase its chemical and physical resistance.
Impregnations can be made using a wide variety of binder materials (silicate, epoxy, acrylic, polyurethane, and others) and are usually a water-based or solvent-basedcarrier.
Certain binders (silicates) can chemically react with concrete, but in most other cases, bonding is physical.
The effect and expected lifetime of the different systems will greatly vary depending on the following factors:
- The type of product used – and the documented characteristics of these specific products.
- The adhesion of the product itself as well as the pretreatment of the substrate before application.
- The depth of impregnation can be used as a quality parameter for both performance and expected lifetime.
Impregnations can be used to protect marine structures.
However, they are not commonly used to protect marine structures in Europe.
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