4. Conclusion

Internal sulfate reaction through the delayed formation of ettringite was discovered some thirty years ago in precast elements cured abroad, and it is only in the last twenty years or so that it has been known to affect cast-in-place structures in France whose concrete has reached high temperatures.

Whether in terms of understanding phenomena, studying swelling mechanisms, modeling the behavior of materials and structures, or treating structures, fundamental and applied research is still needed to improve our knowledge in these fields.

• Pathology

  It should be noted that the situation is reassuring in terms of safety, insofar as the evolution over time of structures affected by internal sulfate reaction is sufficiently gradual to give the managers of these structures time to take the appropriate...