KRYTON INTERNATIONAL OFFERS CURE FOR THE “CONCRETE CANCER” THAT HAS PLAGUED MAJOR SPORTS VENUES AROUND THE U.S. With the 2028 Olympics headlining a West Coast sports building boom, separate studies find that a concrete additive prevents the corrosive “concrete cancer” plaguing other major venues
Los Angeles, California
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December 03, 2024 09:00 AM Pacific Standard Time
Kryton International, the world’s leading Smart Concrete® solutions provider, is studying recent structural failures in sports venues like Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals, to illustrate the dire consequences of “concrete cancer” and highlight available solutions that protect new venues from suffering the same fate.
The company points to recent high-profile incidents of “concrete cancer,” a condition known more technically as alkali-aggregate-reaction caused when water penetrates concrete containing reactive aggregates. The expansive reaction results in microscopic cracks – invisible to the naked eye – and causes significant concrete degradation and rebar corrosion, which can drastically reduce the lifespan of beloved sports venues throughout the nation.
Kauffman Stadium is a prime example and cautionary tale of how concrete cancer can drastically shorten the life expectancy of some of the country’s famed sports venues.
“Though invisible to the naked eye and easily overlooked, the effects of these microscopic cracks are often underestimated until the situation escalates and becomes a serious problem,” said Kevin Yuers, Kryton’s vice president of product development. “The same concrete cancer that infected Kauffman Stadium and threatens other major sports venues is completely preventable when concrete is mixed with permeability-reducing and self-healing additives that repair microcracks as they form.”
As construction and renovation of sports venues gains momentum in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, combined with other major sports facilities under development – notably a state-of-the-art Major League Baseball stadium being built in advance of the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas – there exists a limited window of time when “Smart Concrete” solutions can be executed to ensure long-term durability of these structures well after the closing ceremonies.
Kauffman Stadium was completed just over 50 years ago – around the time of Kryton International’s founding – prior to the advent of concrete technologies that extend a structure’s life expectancy. These smart concrete solutions, for which Kryton has become a global leader for over a half century, could easily add another 50 years to the stadium’s lifespan.
A pair of university research studies – undertaken at the University of Hawaii and the University of Ottawa – employed multi-year analyses of concrete additives such as those developed by Kryton. Both studies found that Kryton’s self-healing Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM), a hydrophilic crystalline admixture used to create permanently waterproof concrete, is highly effective in repairing microcracks as they form. As a result, the microscopic access point that allows water and other elements to corrode concrete and rebar from the inside out remained watertight, thereby preventing “concrete cancer.”
Despite the obvious benefits, Yuers noted that some developers bypass the use of Smart Concrete additives to control up-front construction costs.
“This decision often has much more costly and structurally catastrophic consequences years later. I truly believe that when sports franchises and even taxpayers invest $1 billon to build a world-class stadium, it shouldn’t come with an expiration date. There are cost-effective solutions that ensure these facilities outlive all of us.”
As the construction of Olympic venues and other sports facilities gains momentum in the coming months, Yuers urges contractors to take decisive action. These soon-to-be iconic buildings must be fortified to withstand the passage of time, rather than facing premature demolition in just a few decades.
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ABOUT KRYTON
Kryton International Inc. is the inventor of the crystalline waterproofing admixture and has been waterproofing concrete structures with their proprietary Krystol® technology since 1973. They have won awards for innovation, manufacturing, best place to work, and entrepreneurship. Kryton is an active member of the American Concrete Institute, International Concrete Repair Institute, American Shotcrete Association, and many other thought-leading organizations. Kryton exports their products to more than 50 countries globally. www.kryton.com
Contact Details
Kryton International
Leeza Hoyt
+1 310-343-3197
