Effect of Climatic Conditions on Carbonation of Concrete Structures

Abstract

Carbonation-induced corrosion is a degradation processes, which causes significant economic losses to the operators of an aging large, reinforced concrete (RC) structures such as cooling towers. Due to large variability of basic variables, the probabilistic approach is suitable to describe carbonation ingress. In this study, the probabilistic model is developed for service life assessments of large RC structures exposed to environmental effects. For existing structures, carbonation ingress in normally described using carbonation depth data from in-situ surveys. The shape of a time-dependent carbonation depth curve, essential for long-term predictions, is expressed through the weather function which accounts for the effect of environmental exposure of the structure. This study indicates how a probabilistic model of carbonation ingress can be established; numerical illustration is focused on existing cooling towers located in the Czech Republic. It appears that when long-term observations of carbonation depth are unavailable, the shape of a time-dependent carbonation depth curve can be determined on the basis meteorological data.