Whole life assessment of coastal RC structures

A reliability-based method is presented in this paper for the whole life assessment of corrosion-affected reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Based on the experimental data produced from a comprehensive testing program, models are developed for corrosion-affected structural performance in various life cycles, i.e., corrosion initiation, corrosion-induced concrete cracking, excessive deflection of structural members and reduction of structural strength. A time-dependent reliability method is then employed to determine the probability of attaining each life cycle and each time period. The methodology presented in this paper can equip structural engineers and asset managers with confidence in decision-making with regard to the maintenance and repairs of RC structures.