Research in cement and concrete over 40 years: experiences and lessons for the future

The paper traces the research trajectories of the authors over a period of about 40 years, during which time they have been actively involved in cement and concrete research in South Africa. Several focus areas are selected and presented, with an emphasis on industrial applications and inherent research lessons. The focus areas discussed, representing a selection of our work, include durability in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, corrosion in cracked and uncracked RC beams, heat and temperature development in large concrete masses, and biogenic acid attack on concrete sewers. The importance of industry-academic collaboration is highlighted, and it is shown how this has permitted much of the work to be adopted directly or indirectly by industry. Lastly, some generic research lessons are described.