News / salt in sand

• Mar 05, 2014

  Salinity in Australia - a big problem that builders need to consider.

  The Master Builders Association meeting held in Maitland last week had a very entertaining and informative guest speaker from the NSW Department of Primary Industries. The topic was urban salinity. Salt from the soil can have a very destructive and catastrophic effect on masonry in buildings. Salt is drawn up into masonry with rising damp, and over many years with wet and dry cycles, more and more salt is deposited into the point of evaporation, typically in brickwork or stonework below damp proof course [DPC] level. The pressure exerted by crystallising salt can exceed 200MPa, whilst the tensile resistant strength...

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  • Ben from Efflock, Brick Mart, brick mortar, brickwork, Brookvale, building advice, building in saline areas, building materials, building problems, building technology, camden council, chlorides, construction in saline soils, construction problems, damp proof course, efflock for saline areas, exposure grade bricks, ground salt, masonry, prevent salt attack, prevention of salt attack, rising damp, saline soils, salt attack, salt in sand, salts, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, spalling, stop salt attack, urban salinity
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• Feb 06, 2014

  Sydney running out of sand - the ocean floor could be next.

  A newspaper article in the Sydney Morning Herald has alerted to an imminent problem, and the answer could be at the bottom of the ocean.  Salt content may be a bigger problem than ever in the sand supply, which is a major contributor towards efflorescence. Fortunately, by coincidence we've pre-empted this problem. Sitting in Boral's materials testing facility is long term testing of concrete samples mixed with water containing twice the salt content of the ocean and Efflock. After 12 months, efflorescence is still not evident, and retains hydrophobic effect.   Check out the newspaper article here.  

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  • City built on sand finds grains of hope at sea, Kurnell sand, salt content in sand, salt in sand, salts and efflorescence, sydeny sand shortage, Sydney running out of sand, Sydney sand, Sydney sand shortage
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