ABSTRACT
Reinforced concrete (RC) structures in a marine environment deteriorate with time due to chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcing bars. This chapter presents reliability based durability and service life assessment of RC structures in a marine environment. Reinforcement corrosion in concrete is the predominant factor for the premature deterioration of RC structures leading to structural failure. The chapter introduces the concept of reliability-based durability design and service life assessment of RC structures in a marine environment. The service life of RC structures in an aggressive environment depends on aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. In the case of RC structures subjected to chloride-induced reinforcement corrosion, a phase of service life can be defined based on structural response measured by strength and serviceability. As steel weight loss of longitudinal rebars increases, the flexural strength loss of RC beams decreases significantly due to the effects of the non-uniformity of corrosion along the steel bars in RC beams.
