The application of water jet technology on concrete: a review

Abstract

© <2025> Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

The application of water jet technology on concrete has garnered widespread attention, as water jetting is an advanced technique with several unique advantages, including the absence of heat generation, high-efficiency material removal, and selective separation of materials. These benefits provide a solid foundation for its use in concrete applications. This study aims to review the existing literature (more than 160 references) on the application of water jet technology on concrete and discuss the limitations of current techniques. Based on various practical scenarios, this study divided the research and applications of water jet technology on concrete into three main categories: crushing, granulation, and surface treatment. Crushing involves the controlled erosion and removal of concrete using the impact kinetic energy of the water jet. Granulation refers to the process of liberating coarse and fine recycled aggregates from waste concrete, leveraging the differing impact resistances of aggregates and cementitious materials. Surface treatment consists of using water jet to remove impurities and discarded parts from the concrete surface, thereby improving its surface properties. Water jet input parameters (e.g. water jet pressure, nozzle traverse speed, standoff distance, different forms of water jet) and concrete properties (e.g. compressive strength, steel or fiber content) could affect the crushing efficiency and surface roughness. The findings provide inspirational insights for engineers, designers, and industry stakeholders to overcome technical challenges in construction engineering and further promote the application of water jet technology on concrete.

The authors would like to thank the Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 52478277), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (funding number: 22120240653, Tongji University), and the Multi-disciplinary Research Project (funding number: 2023-2-YB-02, Tongji University).

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (published version)