A method for the use of accelerated carbonation tests in durability design

This work aims to provide a simple semi-probabilistic approach to the service life design of reinforced concrete structures with respect to reinforcement corrosion induced by concrete carbonation.This paper presents an analytical model for the initiation period, calibrated with long-term carbonation results, which uses the accelerated carbonation resistance and the environmental class as input parameters. The issue of defining a limit for deterioration is discussed and a maximum accepted level of deterioration and reliability indexes are defined. The corresponding partial safety factors are derived from a full probabilistic approach. The performance of the proposed method is compared with that proposed on the fib Model Code for Service Life Design.

► Carbonation model calibrated with long term results.
► Deterioration model considering only initiation stage.
► Safety factors determined using Monte Carlo simulations.
► Comparative study with model code for service life design semi-probabilistic approach.