ABSTRACT
The mechanism of reinforced concrete structures degradation under the risk of carbonation and chloride corrosion and its relation to the life cycle of the structure are shown. The models of carbonation progress and chloride migration in concrete are analyzed. Preferences of hyperbolic model of carbonation and the special role of its asymptote as the limit defining the depth of carbonation [1] have been shown (fig. 1). Conditions for the initiation of corrosion in concrete elements with particular attention to the critical chloride concentration [2] are defined. Various methods of determining the distribution profile of chlorides in concrete (fig. 2) with particular emphasis on the diffusion coefficient of chloride are discussed.
