Vulnerability assessment of corrosion-affected concrete structures

Reinforcement corrosion in concrete is the predominant causal factor for the premature deterioration of reinforced concrete structures, causing various degrees of damage to the structure and leading to final structural collapse. The existence of reinforcement corrosion in concrete structures makes them increasingly vulnerable over time. This ultimately poses a potential risk to the public. The intention of the present paper is to propose a method to assess the vulnerability of reinforced concrete structures deteriorating over time due to reinforcement corrosion. The application of the proposed method to corrosion-affected flexural members is demonstrated, while in practice the limitations of the proposed approach need to be recognised due to the complexity of the corrosion process in real structures. The effect of design variables of reinforced concrete structures on their vulnerability is also studied using two sensitivity analysis techniques. It is found that corrosion-induced deterioration is the most important single factor that makes reinforced concrete structures vulnerable. The method presented in the paper can assist engineers, operators and asset managers in developing a risk-informed and cost-effective maintenance strategy in the asset management of corroded concrete infrastructure.