ABSTRACT
Significant efforts have been made in predicting and assessing the service-lives of reinforced concrete (RC) systems. Several service-life models have been developed and are being used during the design process to estimate the serviceability and overall life of RC structures. These models require information on the amount of chlorides required to initiate corrosion of the steel reinforcement, referred to as the critical chloride threshold value (C T ). Although a critical input parameter, there is currently no standardized testing procedure to quantify this characteristic of the steel reinforcement. A review of the literature indicates a wide range of published C T values. Yet, because these have been tested under a wide range of environmental conditions, with a wide range of materials, in a varied number of configurations, these data provide limited value and/or confidence for predicting time to corrosion, service life, or sustainability of RC systems. This chapter reviews the need for standardized testing for C T .
