Service life prediction of reinforced concrete structures

Concrete is the dominant material of construction in the more than 12,000 bridges and major culverts managed by road authorities in Australia and New Zealand. With an ageing asset, concrete durability is becoming an increasingly significant issue for bridge owners. Corrosion damage to affected structures mainly results from chloride ingress and carbonation. While considerable work has been done in the field of service life prediction of reinforced concrete structures, the prediction theory has not been well established. The report reviews and discusses existing models for service life prediction, and provides a basis for future work in the area. A proposed strategy to address problems with existing techniques is presented.