| Abstract: |
Groundwater seepage in coastal building structures represents one of the most persistent and economically damaging challenges confronting the construction industry in littoral zones of India and the broader developing world. The interaction between saline groundwater, reinforced concrete substructures, and the cyclically fluctuating water table produces accelerated material degradation, structural compromise, and eventual serviceability failure. This empirical study investigates the efficacy of polyurethane (PU)-based waterproofing technologies including injection grouting, spray-applied membranes, rigid and flexible foam systems, and two-component formulations in mitigating groundwater seepage across seven major Indian coastal cities: Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, and Surat. Data were collected over a 36-month observational window from 42 building sites spanning residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional typologies. Five structured datasets encompassing seepage rates, PU performance metrics, comparative treatment outcomes, structural integrity indices, and long-term durability profiles were developed and analyzed. Findings demonstrate that PU spray membrane systems achieve seepage reduction rates of up to 96.4%, while hybrid PU-drain board assemblies attain a 98.6% reduction, outperforming conventional cementitious, bituminous, and epoxy-based alternatives across all measured parameters. Structural integrity assessments confirm an average improvement of 87% in chloride ion penetration resistance and 89.5% in rebar corrosion rate reduction following PU application. Long-term service life projections range from 22 to 32 years across city-specific saline exposure conditions. The study affirms that strategic deployment of PU waterproofing technology constitutes the most technically effective and life-cycle cost-efficient intervention for groundwater seepage prevention in coastal construction. |
