ABSTRACT

When reinforced concrete structures are located in coastal and offshore areas, the most important deterioration phenomenon to which attention should be paid in design and maintenance is corrosion of reinforcing bar embedded into concrete. Corrosion of reinforcing bar can initiate a crack of concrete due to the volume expansion of corrosion products. Such a crack may accelerate further progress of corrosion, and subsequently structural performance such as load carrying capacity and ductility will be deteriorated (Kato, et al. 2006). To keep structural performance of these structures over the required levels during the service life, it is necessary to implement a well organized maintenance strategy and to conduct suitable maintenance work according to the grade of deterioration.