Resilience and trends of concrete-polymer composites in Japan

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 struck Sanriku Coast, Japan. The ensuing tsunami swept across many cities and villages along the Pacific coast of the Tohoku district, causing tremendous human and structural damage. These disasters gave a good chance to review the relationship between infrastructures and sustainability in Japan from the viewpoints of concrete structures and concrete-polymer composites. The article introduces essential defects of cement concrete structures and discusses different state-of-the-art concrete-polymer composites and the properties of ultra high strength fiber reinforced concrete.