Tool for assessment and service-life evaluation of corroded bridges

Research Project, 2015 – 2018

Corrosion of steel reinforcement is the most common cause of deterioration in reinforced concrete bridges. Many of the existing bridges show significant corrosion damages, and the impacts of climate change are expected to increase the deterioration.

The primary focal point of the project is to establish a reliable model for the assessment and service-life evaluation of corroded reinforced bridges, and to make the model available to engineers by integrating it into a robust assessment tool.
An earlier developed model will be further extended, verified and improved by incorporating uncertainties, and the tool in form of a user-friendly program will be devised and demonstrated in a case study.
The results of the project will contribute to significant economic and environmental savings for society as we with improved knowledge can repair and replace existing structures only when necessary.
The project is carried out at the division of structural engineering, in the research group of concrete structures.

The computational model (MATLAB script) and the User's manual are available under the project's webpage.