Service life prediction of concrete wharves with early-aged crack: Probabilistic approach for chloride diffusion

Early-aged cracks due to hydration heat and drying shrinkage occur unavoidably in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. These cracks may be the main routes through which chloride ion penetrates into the concrete and also can be one of the major reasons of steel corrosion in RC structures exposed to chloride, such as port and ocean structures. In this paper, the service life of RC structures exposed to the marine environment conditions is predicted considering the crack effect on chloride penetration. First, diffusion coefficients in sound and cracked concrete of wharf structures are obtained through field investigations. Then, through the relationship between diffusion coefficients and crack widths, service life of the cracked concrete is predicted in the probabilistic framework of Monte Carlo Simulation. Furthermore, the predicted service life derived from the field investigations is compared with the values obtained from the traditional method based on allowable crack width concept.

[1]  Ki Yong Ann,et al.  Chloride threshold level for corrosion of steel in concrete , 2007 .

[2]  Michael D. A. Thomas,et al.  Modelling chloride diffusion in concrete: Effect of fly ash and slag , 1999 .

[3]  Keun-Joo Byun,et al.  Predicting carbonation in early-aged cracked concrete , 2006 .

[4]  V. Saraswathy,et al.  Improving the durability of concrete by using inhibitors , 2007 .

[5]  Bruno Sudret,et al.  Probabilistic models for the extent of damage in degrading reinforced concrete structures , 2008, Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf..

[6]  Tetsuya Ishida,et al.  Modeling of durability performance of cementitious materials and structures based on thermo-hygro physics , 2003 .

[7]  Mark G. Stewart,et al.  Spatial variability of pitting corrosion and its influence on structural fragility and reliability of RC beams in flexure , 2004 .

[8]  T. Luping,et al.  On the mathematics of time-dependent apparent chloride diffusion coefficient in concrete , 2007 .

[9]  B. Gérard,et al.  Influence of cracking on the diffusion properties of cement-based materials : Part I : Influence of continuous cracks on the steady-state regime , 2000 .

[10]  Seung-Jun Kwon,et al.  A Study on Analytical Technique of Chloride Diffusion considering Characteristics of Mixture Design for High Performance Concrete using Mineral Admixture , 2005 .

[11]  Mark G. Stewart,et al.  Spatial time-dependent reliability analysis of corrosion damage and the timing of first repair for RC structures , 2007 .

[12]  V. Sirivivatnanon,et al.  Chloride diffusivity of concrete cracked in flexure , 2000 .

[13]  E. Vesikari,et al.  Durability Design of Concrete Structures , 2004 .

[14]  Young Soo Yoon,et al.  PREDICTING THE REMAINING SERVICE LIFE OF LAND CONCRETE BY STEEL CORROSION , 2003 .

[15]  Koichi Maekawa,et al.  Simulation of Coupled Corrosive Product Formation, Migration into Crack and Propagation in Reinforced Concrete Sections , 2005 .

[16]  Mark G. Stewart,et al.  Time-dependent reliability of deteriorating reinforced concrete bridge decks , 1998 .

[17]  Bruno Sudret,et al.  Time-variant finite element reliability analysis – application to the durability of cooling towers , 2005 .

[18]  Said Jalali,et al.  Software for probability-based durability analysis of concrete structures , 2005 .

[19]  Vemund Arskøg,et al.  Probability-based durability analysis of concrete harbor structures , 2004 .

[20]  K. Rajagopal,et al.  Longterm corrosion performance of rebar embedded in blended cement concrete under macro cell corrosion condition , 2008 .

[21]  G. De Schutter.  Fundamental study of early age concrete behaviour as a basis for durable concrete structures , 2002 .

[22]  J. Broomfield.  Corrosion of Steel in Concrete: Understanding, investigation and repair , 1996 .

[23]  Dimitri V. Val,et al.  Probabilistic evaluation of initiation time of chloride-induced corrosion , 2008, Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf..

[24]  O. Troconis de Rincón,et al.  Durability of concrete structures: DURACON, an iberoamerican project. Preliminary results , 2006 .

[25]  前川 宏一,et al.  Modelling of concrete performance : hydration, microstructure formation, and mass transport , 1999 .