Experimental characterization of the self-healing capacity of cement based materials : an overview

This paper, prepared in the framework of the COST Action SARCOS WG2 activities (http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15202), provides an overview of the main concepts underlying the experimental characterization of the self-sealing capacity of cement-based materials. This effort intends to pave the way towards standardization of such experimental methods for a comparative assessment of the self-healing capacity of different cement-based materials and of the effectiveness of different techniques, in order to incorporate self-healing concepts and outcomes into durability-based predictive models and design approaches.This paper, prepared in the framework of the COST Action SARCOS WG2 activities (http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15202), provides an overview of the main concepts underlying the experimental characterization of the self-sealing capacity of cement-based materials. This effort intends to pave the way towards standardization of such experimental methods for a comparative assessment of the self-healing capacity of different cement-based materials and of the effectiveness of different techniques, in order to incorporate self-healing concepts and outcomes into durability-based predictive models and design approaches.A