Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

Along with frost and de-icing salt damage, edge spalling, efflorescence and discolourations have always been the most frequent reasons for complaints relating to surfaces made of concrete paving stones. Edge spalling can be caused by flawed design, sub-standard quality of the paving stones, faulty laying or use of inappropriate material. Assessing the causes of such edge spalling has always presented a significant challenge to appraisers, since there are no testing and assessment criteria for the edge stability of paving stones in the form of standards, guidelines or codes of practice. Moreover, there is no reproducible information on typical (and therefore acceptable) edge spalling of paving stones as a function of surface utilisation and the edge finishing (sharp-edged or chamfered paving stones).