ABSTRACT
Recent research on high quality concrete structures exposed in the field have revealed large variations in chloride penetration and corrosion properties of the concrete and its reinforcement. The micro-environmental conditions in various exposure zones have been found to be of major importance compared to variations in the concrete itself, providing that the general concrete quality is high. In this paper some practical consequences from such field behaviour are discussed, as supported by experimental field data. Possible consequences for the design of modem high quality structures are discussed, such as the specific use of stainless steel and/or additional environmental protection of the concrete in some most aggressive exposure zones. Furthermore, less expensive designs may be used in other parts of the structure being exposed in less aggressive microclimates, thus allowing a more cost effective design of the structure for a given desired service life.
