The serviceability and durability of concrete structures has been extensively studied by various researchers. Cementitious materials and concrete are the most widely used in construction site. However, cracking is a well-known phenomenon in concrete engineering. Concrete repairs are inevitable to enhance its service life which evokes additional expenditure separate to the building cost. Therefore, one of the most important issues is to seal cracks which occur due to drying shrinkage or exposed to external factors. Many researchers have already studied this topic with the intent to control cracking or develop a crack-free concrete. Two alternatives for crack control have been proposed; these include methodologies for either controlling residual stresses or developing ductile concrete. Recently, a lot of researchers are studied various crack control methods and concepts to achieve self-healing phenomenon in past decades. In this review paper, autogenous healing in cementitious materials is reported based on various articles, activity of JCI TC-075B (Japan Concrete Institute Technical Committee 075B), JCI TC-091A (Japan Concrete Institute Technical Committee 091A) and RILEM TC-SHC (Self-healing Phenomena in Cement Based Materials of (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures)).
Keywords: Self-healing, Crack, Durability, Crack-free Concrete, Repair.