1

Introduction

This book is a collection of papers and articles written by me in the last

four years, presented as sections. In the majority of cases, the sections
are exact copies of the original published material; in other cases,
some changes have been made to improve or correct the text. Each
chapter begins with a specially written preliminary part. Of course,
the content and format are my responsibility.

About the author

To make sure that people read this book, or better still buy it, I should say,
casting modesty aside, that I have written nine other books, of which
seven are on concrete. One of these, Properties of Concrete, first published
in 1964, has appeared in four editions in English and also in 12 other
languages, in some cases with more than one edition translated into a
given language. Over the period of 40 years, since Properties of Concrete
first appeared in print, well over half a million copies have been sold.
On the negative side, the latest and last edition of Properties of
Concrete appeared in 1995 in the UK, in 1996 in the USA, and 2000
in India. There have been 12 impressions of the British edition,
containing some improvements, emendations and minor additions
but the treatment of some very recent developments is absent.

About the approach of this book

Of course, much can be written about recent developments in concrete
and also a different approach is possible. This is why, in 2003, I

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 Concrete: Neville’s Insights and Issues

published a new book under the title Neville on Concrete, which deals
with several aspects of concrete not covered, or only partially
covered, previously. But that is not the main feature of Neville on
Concrete.
Unlike usual books on concrete, which proceed in an orderly and
systematic manner from science to practice, the various sections of
Neville on Concrete first look at a problem or an issue, and then
discuss the underlying scientific and technological aspects. This is like
looking at concrete through the wrong end of the telescope, which
gives some new insights.
I have largely followed the same approach in the present book,
Concrete: Neville’s Insights and Issues. For example, Sections 4.1 and
4.2 deal with a relation between the age of cracks in concrete and
the observed depth of carbonation, a proposition advanced in an insur-
ance case. To prove, or disprove, that relation, the relevant factors
influencing the progress of carbonation are considered in detail. The
proposition, which was used in litigation, is found to be erroneous.
But what is important for a reader of this book is that the relevant
sections in Chapter 4 take him or her through the actual pattern of
carbonation and provide a scientific understanding of the phenomena
involved in a manner more palatable than would be used in a classical
text, which starts with the relevant chemical reactions, their kinetics,
and the observed changes in the microstructure of the hydrated
cement paste.
Another distinguishing feature of this book is that it has mainly been
written by a sole author, so that the inconsistencies in terminology and
internal contradictions are avoided. The only exceptions are Section
2.1, written jointly with P.-C. Aı̈tcin, and Section 4.4 co-authored by
Bob Tobin. I am grateful to them for agreeing to include our joint
papers in ‘my’ book.
I have referred to litigation. Indeed, several sections of this book have
their origin in lawsuits in which I appeared as an expert witness. Now
that I no longer undertake court work, I feel publicly free to discuss
topics on which I provided expert opinion. Of course, I do not identify
individual cases or parties but the lessons to be learned are aired.
The relevance of litigation to the structural engineer is the subject of
Section 6.3. Alas, this is a topic of increasing importance because we
live in a progressively more and more litigious society, and it behoves
us to know the potential pitfalls. To say that litigation benefits no
one would be incorrect because a large number of lawyers make good
money out of it. The lawyers, who are advocates and not technical

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 Introduction

people, need technically competent experts. If, in addition, these

experts can present their expertise well, if they can robustly resist occa-
sional onslaught by lawyers for the opposing side because they know
what they know and, if they neither vacillate nor exceed their field of
competence — in other words, they know what they don’t know —
such experts can command high honoraria.
The experts’ contribution to establishing technical facts is essential,
but we would all do much better without litigation. A great deal of
uncertainty would be removed, money expended on lawyers’ fees and
experts’ fees would be saved, insurance premiums for professional
work and for construction in general would be lower. In the end, the
cost of constructing a building would be lower, which would of course
benefit the owner.
This book does not deal with all aspects of concrete — indeed, it is not
intended to be an encyclopedia, but rather a selected treatment of
topics on which I have ‘hands-on’ experience. For an encyclopedic
presentation, I cannot resist advertising Properties of Concrete.
Different people, especially in different countries, will find different
parts of the book of direct interest. So, there is likely to be widespread
appeal. In addition, academics with limited research experience,
looking for a new research topic, will find here a rich mine of topics
that need further study and research. This is so because, to deal with
a question posed in litigation, I could proceed only thus far. What is
described here is a good starting point, or points, for research. A
prime example of this situation is Section 4.3 with the unusual title
of ‘The confused world of sulfate attack’.

About the arrangement of this book

This book is divided into seven chapters, each discussing a particular
aspect of concrete. Chapter 2 deals with the water—cement ratio.
Although this parameter has been recognized for a century, and even
longer in France, there are still some aspects that are not clear or
that are misused. I have tried to remedy that situation.
Chapter 3 deals with high-alumina cement. This is a specialty
cement, valuable in some applications. It could, therefore, be thought
that this cement need not be considered in a book on ordinary,
run-of-the-mill concretes. However, much to my surprise, manufac-
turers of high-alumina cement periodically try to revive an interest in
it as an ingredient of what would otherwise be ordinary concrete. I
have been involved in experimental and technological aspects of

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 Concrete: Neville’s Insights and Issues

high-alumina cement for fully half a century, and I am convinced that a

revival of structural use of high-alumina cement is likely to lead to
renewed failures and even to disaster. In my opinion, these attempts
have to be nipped in the bud, and it is not enough to rely on the fact
that the behaviour of high-alumina cement has been discussed in the
past. As quoted in the opening paragraph of Section 3.3, ‘Publications
more than 25 years old are likely to be forgotten’.
Inadequate durability and shrinkage cracking are the major short-
comings of concrete. Shrinkage is not discussed in this book because
the subject has been thoroughly examined in the past. Although we
can never claim that all that can be said on a particular topic has
been said already, we do know enough about shrinkage to be able to
control it in practice and to minimize its adverse consequences.
Durability covers a multitude of sins and, alas, we continue to sin.
Sulfate attack, which is prevalent only in certain areas, is far from
being understood. Section 4.3 tries to put the confused situation into
some sort of perspective and identifies those aspects of sulfate attack
that need clarifying. This would require a major and concerted effort,
but no one is willing to face the challenge. Only fragmentary laboratory
work is done, and often this is directed at confirming an individual
researcher’s hypothesis. What we need is a large-scale experimental
investigation of field behaviour of concrete subjected to various sulfates
in a wide range of situations. I very much hope that Sections 4.3 and 4.4
of this book will jolt someone into this truly worthwhile action.
The alkali—silica reaction has been studied for many years, yet
Section 4.5 is devoted to that reaction. What provoked me into
writing it is that I was recently called to investigate a potentially
adverse situation. This led me to a study of recent European and
British Standards prescribing design procedures to minimize the
alkali—silica reaction in concrete.
Sections 4.1 and 4.2 have also arisen from a problem in practice,
indeed in a court case. Progress of carbonation is the basic phenomenon
considered and I use the hypothesis advanced in court to elucidate
various aspects of carbonation in general.
Chapter 5 deals with two aspects of concrete in service. One is the
intriguing question: which way do cracks run when concrete is subjected
to stress? The second specific issue in Section 5.1 is whether coarse
aggregate particles act as crack arresters and force the cracks which,
following the straight line of maximum stress, would run through the
particles, to deviate around them. While much theoretical work has
been done, no experimental body of evidence is available.

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 Introduction

The remaining two sections in Chapter 5, namely 5.2 and 5.3, deal
with residential slabs on grade. These represent non-structural use of
concrete because ground slabs in one- or two-storey homes are
usually non-load bearing. Strength is thus of no import, and it might
therefore be thought that there can be no great concern about the
concrete mix used. And yet, in some parts of the USA, there has
been a considerable amount of litigation about the alleged lack of
durability of slabs.
To my knowledge, no substantial failures have been observed and no
home has ever been condemned because of inadequacy of the slab on
grade. Despite this situation, the allegations of non-conformity of the
slabs with the American design codes have been advanced again and
again, and out-of-court settlements have resulted in many millions of
dollars being paid out. Such a situation is definitely harmful to the
image of concrete but I could not address it while I was active as an
expert witness. Now that I am saying a farewell to concrete, I am free
to present my views in relation to three relevant codes of practice.
Section 5.2 deals with sustainability, but it does not pretend to be
anywhere near an exhaustive treatment of this topic. Sustainability is
concerned with economy of materials and energy, and also with long-
evity and durability of structures. Exhaustive treatment is still in
search of an author. In the meantime, enthusiasts explore single
aspects of durability. I shall do even less: I propose to consider concrete
subjected to fire, and also to mention briefly the use of newer and new
materials in the mix.
However, I shall also review the traditional attitude of designers with
respect to economy, and thus to try to show that it has always been part
of the designer’s task to economize cost, materials, and energy. In other
words, my approach to sustainability is more measured.
Chapter 6 has the umbrella title ‘General issues’. Indeed, Section 6.1
deals with the entire topic of creating a concrete structure, starting with
mix selection, all the way to the finished product. The importance of all
the steps and procedures is emphasized. A complementary section,
Section 6.2, looks at workmanship, a concept of considerable impor-
tance but not directly and objectively defined. Section 6.2 clearly
distinguishes workmanship from design; this is obvious to engineers,
designers and contractors but cement chemists occasionally muddy
the waters, which is unhelpful.
A very short note on violation of codes is presented in Section 6.4.
This is complemented by Section 6.3 re-visiting litigation in construc-
tion, this time in designed structures, as against non-designed slabs

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 Concrete: Neville’s Insights and Issues

on grade, considered in Sections 5.2 and 5.3. Litigation is the bane of all
those involved in construction. It won’t go away, so that the best we can
do now is to follow the old adage: forewarned is forearmed.
The last section in Chapter 6, Section 6.5, considers gender in the
language dealing with concrete. It is like the proverbial red herring
but we are enjoined to be politically correct at all times, even if the
resulting syntax makes for difficult reading. Are we prepared to stand
up and say that the pronoun ‘it’ covers a contractor, a designer, a
tradesman and an operative regardless of sex, which is obviously
irrelevant? I doubt that we are yet but in the fullness of time, let us
revolt!
Chapter 7 presents an overview of the use and development of
concrete over the last half century. Have we done well? Or well
enough? Chapter 7 also contains a sombre farewell.
In Section 7.1, I look at the changes in concrete practice in the last
40 years, and I cannot make up my mind that it has all been progress,
that is, a change for the better. Sections 7.2 and 7.3 look back on the
20th century. Section 7.4 attempts a glimpse of the future and includes
suggestions for future developments.
And, finally, Section 7.5 gives my last word on concrete. The
emphasis is on the personal pronoun ‘my’, which means that I have
truly stopped writing — some might say pontificating — on concrete.
Enough is enough.

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