Performance-Based Standard Specifications for Maintenance and Repair of Concrete Structures in Japan

In 2001 Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) published its first Standard Specifications for Concrete Structures – 2001 'Maintenance', which is the first ever specification that covers every maintenance aspect of concrete structures. The Standard Specification consists of two parts; Part 1: Maintenance, and Part 2: Standards for Maintenance. The first part includes required performance, basic principles for maintenance, inspection, identification of deterioration mechanism, evaluation of structural performance, and remedial measures together with a flowchart outlining the overall maintenance activities from initial inspection (birth/rebirth certificate) to execution of remedial measures. The second part provides detailed information on deterioration prediction, inspection methods, evaluation/judgment and remedial measures for different deterioration mechanisms in separate chapters. Seven types of deteriorations, namely carbonation induced deterioration, chloride induced deterioration, frost damage, chemical attack, alkali aggregate reaction, fatigue of slabs, and fatigue of beams are covered. Besides 'Maintenance', JSCE also published the Standard Specifications for Concrete Structures 'Structural Performance Verification', 'Seismic Performance Verification' and 'Materials and Construction'. The whole set of Standard Specifications, adopting the performance-based concept, provides standard specifications for structural design, materials, construction, maintenance and repair to satisfy the required performance during the design life taking into account chronological change in the structural performances. This paper introduces the JSCE Standard Specifications 'Maintenance' and presents briefly some new issues to be introduced in the next version of 'Maintenance' as well as application examples illustrating maintenance plans of a superstructure of open-type wharf.