Influence of erosion damage on the spatiotemporal deterioration of marine RC structures

The erosion damage of marine reinforced concrete (RC) structures is induced by the physical and chemical coupling effect including both abrasion damage by sediment-laden water flow and corrosion damage by salt-laden water flow. However, the comprehensive effects of the abrasioncorrosive damage on structural performance evaluation have not been considered, which will underestimate structural risk. In this paper, an evaluation method of surface deterioration and bearing capacity is established for marine RC structures under the spatiotemporal effect of erosion damage. The theoretical friction-impact abrasion model of concrete is derived using the energy conservation method. On this basis, using the theoretical friction-impact abrasion model and the numerical simulation method, the environmental action factors were analyzed when erosion damage appeared. The variations in abrasion damage rate are discussed related to changes in impact angle, the impact speed, and the sediment content when abrasion damage occurs at the concrete surface. The influence of multiple parameters on abrasion damage rate is gained by combining with the results obtained from the numerical simulation method. Then, erosion damage considering the coupling of corrosion damage and abrasion damage is introduced to quantify the surface deterioration and bearing capacity of RC structures based on the continuous integral method. The uncertainty analysis under abrasion times ranging from 0 to 30 years is conducted to verify the spatiotemporal effect of erosion damage on surface deterioration and bearing capacity of RC structures. The result establishes a good foundation for the failure analysis and diagnosis of marine RC structures.