ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Adriatic coast is characterized by multi-hazard environment: high salinity of the Adriatic Sea, strong winds, high seismicity and extreme traffic load during summer tourist season. Case studies of Adriatic large span reinforced concrete arch bridges confirm chloride induced corrosion as the main degradation mechanism. In order to provide better bridge assessment and optimal maintenance planning, the coupled 3D chemo-hygro-thermo mechanical (CHTM) model was developed in order to enable a realistic simulation of reinforcement corrosion processes, taking into account influence and interaction of numerous material, structural, environmental and climate performance indicators. Climate performance indicators are of great importance to precisely determine environmental loads on structures. Structural health monitoring, non-destructive testing and visual inspections are essential for model verification through comparison of numerical results and data obtained on existing bridges providing a base for more accurate prediction of the remaining service life of structures.
