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Fire will expose the concrete to gases and liquids that can be harmful to the concrete, among other salts and acids that occur when gases produced by a fire come into contact with water. If concrete is exposed to very high temperatures very rapidly, explosive spalling of the concrete can result.
Conversely, concrete is one of the most powerful tools for proper flood control, by means of damming, diversion, and deflection of flood waters, mud flows, and the like. Light-colored concrete can reduce the urban heat island effect, due to its higher albedo. [3] However, original vegetation results in even greater benefit.
When water freezes, the volume of water increases by 9 %. [citation needed] When the volumetric moisture content exceeds 91 %, then the volume increase of water in the pores of the material caused by freezing cannot be absorbed by sufficient empty pores. This causes an increase in the internal pressure.
Concrete is sometimes used as a fire protection for steel frames, for the same effect as above. Concrete as a fire shield, for example Fondu fyre, can also be used in extreme environments like a missile launch pad. Options for non-combustible construction include floors, ceilings and roofs made of cast-in-place and hollow-core precast concrete.
The effect of these changes is an overall loss of concrete strength. The above effects are typical of attack by solutions of sodium sulfate or potassium sulfate. Solutions containing magnesium sulfate are generally more aggressive, for the same concentration.
When fire hydrants ran dry, the L.A. Department of Water and Power struggled to get water where needed. The utility's operations chief explains the decisions as the fire spread.
Fireproof vaults to protect important paper documents are usually built using concrete or masonry blocks as the primary building material. [citation needed] In the event of a fire, the chemically-bound water within the concrete or masonry blocks is forced into the vault chamber as steam, which soaks the paper documents to keep them from igniting.
The department's three water tanks, which hold about a million gallons each, ran out Wednesday morning, Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer for the Los Angeles Fire Department of Water and Power ...