Probabilistic Service Life Assessment and Maintenance Planning of Concrete Structures
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 5
Abstract
This paper presents a general approach to the probabilistic prediction of the structural service life and to the maintenance planning of deteriorating concrete structures. The proposed formulation is based on a novel methodology for the assessment of the time-variant structural performance under the diffusive attack of external aggressive agents. Based on this methodology, Monte Carlo simulation is used to account for the randomness of the main structural parameters, including material properties, geometrical parameters, area and location of the reinforcement, material diffusivity and damage rates. The time-variant reliability is then computed with respect to proper measures of structural performance. The results of the lifetime durability analysis are finally used to select, among different maintenance scenarios, the most economical rehabilitation strategy leading to a prescribed target value of the structural service life. Two numerical applications, a box-girder bridge deck and a pier of an existing bridge, show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
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Acknowledgments
The study presented in this paper is supported by research funds MIUR-COFIN2002 from the Department of Structural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and the Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Italy. Part of the research has been developed while the first writer visited the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Colo. The third writer acknowledges the support of the U.S.j National Science Foundation through Grant Nos. CMS-021790 and CMS-0509772. The opinions and conclusions presented in the paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring organization.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 5 • May 2006
Pages: 810 - 825
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 20, 2004
Accepted: Jan 12, 2005
Published online: May 1, 2006
Published in print: May 2006
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Shahram Sarkani
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