Evaluation of repair and maintenance strategies for concrete coastal bridges on a probabilistic basis

Corrosion of reinforcement is a major problem for a large number of reinforced concrete structures because it can lead to a substantial decrease in the load-bearing capacity. One mode of corrosion initiation is when the chloride content around the reinforcement exceeds a critical threshold value. In this paper, the concept of probabilistic models is presented. Further, it is demonstrated how optimal plans for repair and maintenance of concrete structures subject to chloride ingress can be determined on the basis of a probabilistic model. In an illustrative example, the optimal repair and maintenance strategy for a bridge pier in a marine environment is determined.