Risk based management of concrete structures using advanced corrosion monitoring

Abstract

Reinlorced concrete is a very cost elfective construction material, used for a large part of the world's physícal ínfrastructure. The durable collaboration between steel and concrele is essential for its safe and serviceable funclioning. Normally, the physícal and chemÍcal nature of concrete protects the ernbedded reinforcing steel against corrosion. Hornrever, in the coursa of time, this protection can be reduced or completely lost due to the ingress of aggressive substances from the environment, for example chloride ions from seawaler and de-icing salts and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, resulting in reinforcement corrosion. Corrosion creates expansive corrosion producls, which crack and subsequently spall off the concrete cover: eventually corrosion tvill reduce bar diameters to unsate values and collapse cannol be exclude