Service Life Modelling of Reinforced Concrete Bridges

Joško OŽBOLT

PhD, CE

Professor

Institute of Construction Materials - University of Stuttgart, Germany Faculty of Civil

Engineering - University of Rijeka, Croatia joozbolt@iwb.uni-stuttgart.de

Jure RADIĆ

PhD, CE

Professor and Head of Bridge Division - University of Zagreb; General Manager Institute IGH;

Zagreb, Croatia

jradic@grad.hr

The paper provides a brief overview of degradation of the large reinforced concrete arch bridges on Adriatic coast which is the result of influence of the combination of very aggressive exposure conditions and inadequate attention to durability issues. As chloride-induced corrosion is the major cause of deterioration of these bridges, deterioration prediction models during corrosion process on structural members is essential for efficient bridge management. In this purpose coupled 3D chemo-hygro-thermo mechanical model for transient analysis of corrosion processes before and after depassivation of steel reinforcement in concrete is being developed. The application of the model is illustrated on numerical examples, which results are in good agreement with the available experimental observations.