ABSTRACT
In this list damage due to the penetration of chlorides and carbonation are by far the most important
1 INTRODUCTION
In the light of the developments in the field of concrete structures the increasing attention for “design for service life” is remarkable. The background of this development is clear. Damage due to insufficient attention for durability, or due to the use of inadequate criteria, have led to expensive repair and even demolition and replacement. De Sitter (1984) made a statement which perfectly touches the core of the matter. This statement is known as the Rule of Fives: “If no maintenance is carried out the later repair costs will be five times the saved maintenance costs. If no repair is carried out, the cost of renovation will be five times the money saved by not repairing”. Meanwhile we have experienced the truth behind this saying: expensive maintenance and repair measures are necessary there, where in the past the need for the aspect durability was ignored.
