Discover the keys to see if you have aluminosis at home

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Aluminosis in buildings is quite common in constructions from the 1950s and late 1970s. This is due to the widespread use of aluminous cement because in a few hours it already had great resistance. What they didn't know at the time is that, over time, many of them would have aluminosis. It is important to know this information so you can review it before buying a home.

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Aluminosis: the concrete disease
What is it?
Aluminosis is a very common pathology in concrete made with aluminous cement. Buildings with aluminosis suffer a progressive deterioration in strength and the concrete becomes more porous. This can have serious consequences for the stability of the Chinese Overseas America Number Data construction, so it is very important to identify it, as we will teach you in this article.

Apart from the use of aluminous cement, there are other elements that can promote the appearance of aluminosis such as the presence of humidity or temperatures above 25º.

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What damage does it cause to buildings?
In the event that the concrete has aluminosis, there may be significant structural damage, which is why it is so important to detect it in time. These are the damages caused by aluminosis:

Concrete can lose up to 75% of strength and a decrease in volume.
Increased porosity.
Loss of adhesion to steel.
Carbonation or lowering of PH causes the reinforcement to remain unprotected against corrosion.
aluminosis

How can we detect aluminosis?
The most important thing in case of aluminosis is to have the help of professionals to check it. These are the steps you should follow:



Check if the building was built with aluminous cement. To see it, you will have to look at the color of the concrete, which will be ocher or very dark brown. In any case, it is best to send it for analysis, it may be that only part of the concrete contains aluminous cement.
Check the structure of the building, see if there are damages, cracks, rust stains, etc. If the concrete is made with aluminous cement and the structure is damaged, it is most likely a case of aluminosis.
Phenolphthalein method. This technique will allow the inspector to see if the concrete is carbonated. If yes, it will be necessary to check that no corrosion has occurred in the structure.
Corrosion loss. If the previous test has been positive, the residual life of the corroded part will have to be looked at, as it could affect the adhesion of the steel and concrete.
How do we act against aluminosis?
The treatment will depend on the state of the building and how affected it is by aluminosis.

If the building does not have corrosion or the levels are very low, we must ensure that the humidity conditions do not vary and are less than 60% and try to always have a dry environment.

Finally, once a complete study has been carried out, it will be necessary to study whether the best solution is repair or, directly, demolition, if there may be a risk of collapse.