Degradation, the chemical/physical response of building and con struction materials exposed to in-service environments, must be predicted prior to their installation in structures if materials are to be effectively selected, used and maintained. These assessments of materials degradation require that methods be available to aid prediction of service life. The objectives of building materials science are a) to charac terize and categorize materials, b) to predict, preferably in a mathematical sense, material or component response including expected service life, and c) to make improvements in...

Degradation, the chemical/physical response of building and con- struction materials exposed to in-service environments, must be predicted prior to their installation in structures if materials are to be effectively selected, used and maintained. These assessments of materials degradation require that methods be available to aid prediction of service life. The objectives of building materials science are a) to charac- terize and categorize materials, b) to predict, preferably in a mathematical sense, material or component response including expected service life, and c) to make improvements...