ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of the last century, a large number of structures and infrastructures throughout the world have been constructed with reinforced concrete. Initially reinforced concrete was considered as a durable construction material. Nevertheless, especially from the second half the 20th century, degradation of reinforced concrete (RC) structures became a major problem and structural engineers had to focus on it. Nowadays durability has become a critical issue in the management of RC structures [1]. Furthermore, designers of RC structures are now aware that, even though quality controls at the construction site are essential for obtaining a durable structure, prevention of steel corrosion has to be included since the design stage. Therefore, there is a need for tools aimed at the design of durable structures. EN 206-1 standard [2] and Eurocode 2 [3] define exposure classes and provide recommendations on the maximum water/cement ratio and the minimum cover thickness, aimed at assuring a service life of the order of 50 years. However, the requirements provided in European standards are simply deemed-to-satisfy rules, which do not allow the use of a performance-based 1 Corresponding author: luca.bertolini@polimi.it
design procedure. Under conditions of high aggressiveness or when a longer service life is required, a specific design procedure is required.
