User-Friendly Time-Dependent Reliability-Based Charts to Evaluate the Structural Safety of RC Wharf Decks Exposed to a Changing Environment

This paper presents a robust time-dependent reliability-based analysis framework to evaluate the service life of steel reinforced concrete (RC) wharf decks subjected to gravity loads and exposed to corrosion and freeze-thaw damage. The effect of climate change on the freeze-thaw damage was considered in the analysis. The robust framework of analysis was utilized to generate a family of user-friendly evaluation charts calibrated for Halifax, Nova Scotia environment. A practical example of utilizing the charts to assess the service life of an existing RC wharf deck was demonstrated. Multiple families of evaluation charts can be generated based on refined knowledge of site-specific parameters across Canada, multiple design standards and load combinations, and wharf importance categories.