Reliability analysis of chloride penetration in saturated concrete

Jung S. Kong, Ayman N. Ababneh, Dan M. Frangopol, Yunping Xi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

101 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Corrosion of reinforcement in concrete is a major durability problem of reinforced concrete structures. The corrosion is initiated by chloride penetration into the concrete, which is a diffusion-controlled process involving many complex physical and chemical mechanisms. Large random variation has shown in the corrosion damage of reinforced concrete structures, and there is a pressing need to develop a reliability analysis method for chloride penetration and for the onset of steel corrosion in concrete. In order to conduct a reliability analysis, a comprehensive material model for chloride concentration is developed and described, and some of the model parameters (water-cement ratio and curing time) are selected as random variables. By including uncertainties in the selected variables, the chloride penetration front at a point in time can be represented by a time-dependent probabilistic distribution. Similar to the concepts of supply and demand used in structural reliability analysis, the chloride penetration front at a target level (depth) with respect to time can be represented by the probability distribution of crossing the target level. A detailed description of the basic concepts and numerical examples are given. To include the effect of uncertainties of the material parameters, a recently developed Monte Carlo simulation program was used in numerical examples.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)305-315
Number of pages11
JournalProbabilistic Engineering Mechanics
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2002 Jul
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chloride penetration
  • Concrete durability
  • Monte Carlo simulation
  • Reliability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Ocean Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

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