Experimental Data for the Application of Performance-Based Methods for the Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures Subjected to Carbonation

As a consequence of the increase of degradation cases, especially due to steel corrosion, as well as the requirement for longer service life for the major buildings, durability has become a critical issue in the management of reinforced concrete structures. Designers of reinforced concrete structures are now aware that they should include the prevention of steel corrosion in the design stage. Usually this phase deals with the definition of a proper combination of concrete characteristics (composition, properties and curing) and concrete cover thickness, which allows preventing corrosion effects during the service life. Performance-based methods based on probabilistic or semiprobabilistic approaches have been recently proposed for this purpose, but there is lack of information about the parameters related to the long term behaviour of the materials. Results of a long-term experimental program aimed at the collection of parameters describing the behaviour of a wide range of concrete compositions and their application to performance-based methods to the design of reinforced concrete structures subject to corrosion due to carbonation are presented in this paper.