3 SERVICE LIFE MODELING
OF REINFORCED CONCRETE
STRUCTURES
3.1 General
For reinforced concrete structures, the most important
durability considerations concern reinforcement
corrosion. As a result, the modeling of the
ingress of aggressive agents such as chlorides and
carbon dioxides has received considerable attention
on recent years. However, many questions yet have
to be answered in determining reliable and practical
design procedures for reinforced concrete members
subjected to chloride ingress or carbonation.
Design approaches for durability can be divided
into prescriptive concepts, also termed deemed to satisfy
concepts, and performance-based concepts. Prescriptive
concepts are based on material specification
from given parameters such as exposure classes and
life span of the structure. Following this approach,