Reliability Evaluation of Concrete Cover for Buried Structures from Chloride-Induced Corrosion Perspective
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 8
Abstract
All design specifications for steel reinforced concrete structures provide guidelines for the thickness of minimum concrete cover over the reinforcing steel. The thickness of the concrete cover is a function of many considerations such as cracking, migration of deleterious substances that can cause corrosion of steel, or constructability concerns. This paper examines the current state of practice for concrete covers for buried steel reinforced concrete structures from the perspective of chloride-induced corrosion. The evaluation is performed using the fully probabilistic fib model for chloride-induced corrosion. Results of parametric analysis based on the Monte Carlo simulation procedure are presented. Correlation is made with a reliability index to permit an evaluation of the current codes based on reliability principles.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the useful discussions with Modjeski and Masters, Inc. (Dr. Thomas Murphy, PE, Travis Hopper, PE, and Edward Wasserman, PE), Rutgers University (Dr. Frank Moon), and COWI (Anne-Marie Langlois, P.Eng) during the Project 12-108 work for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). The Project 12-108 was funded by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 8 • August 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 30, 2019
Accepted: Jan 21, 2020
Published online: May 29, 2020
Published in print: Aug 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Oct 29, 2020
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