Durability-Related Specifications for Concrete Bridge Structures

The term "service life" is an important characteristic of bridges and has to be interpreted in combination with the term durability. It describes the ability of the structure and its components to ensure the load bearing capacity and the serviceability during the entire service life. The paper presents new research works in regard to the probabilistic service life prognosis and utilizes this method to quantify the essential aspects concerning service life and durability of concrete bridges. Based on these results different design and construction approaches are identified in order to increase the life-cycle performance.