Performance evaluation of patch repairs on historic concrete structures (PEPS): the evolution of conservation repairs on the Historic England Phase II test sites and PEPS Phase II results

Historically, little effort had been made to match patch repairs to culturally significant reinforced concrete structures so that they are effective and sustain the aesthetic values of the structure. The collaborative research project, Performance Evaluation of Patch Repairs on Historic Concrete Structures (PEPS), being undertaken by Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), Historic England (HE) and the Laboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques (LRMH), seeks to address this problem. Through its advice on grant-aided projects, Historic England has tried to achieve effective like-for-like repairs over the last 20 years. The ten English sites selected for the PEPs Phase II non-destructive testing (NDT) includes some of the buildings and structures where this repair work was carried out. Data on site location, specification of repair, environmental conditions, test results and tentative conclusions from this phase of the research is presented in this paper. Five of the sites will be subject to further NDT and destructive testing and sampling as part of Phase III.