Materials and Structures / Matériaux et Constructions, Vol.
36, November 2003, pp 636-640
2nd International RILEM Workshop on Life Prediction
and Aging Management of Concrete Structures
Paris, France, 5-6 May 2003
Reported by Dan J. Naus
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
International Scientific Committee: C. Andrade, Spain; H. Ashar, USA; Z. Bittnar, Czech Republic; M. Ciampoli, Italy;
R. Danisch, Germany; B. Ellingwood, USA; M. Geiker, Denmark; L. Granger, France; H.L. Graves, III, USA;
M. Johnston, UK; D.J. Naus, USA; P. Shaw, Sweden; M. Stewart, Australia; P.J.E. Sullivan, UK; and E. Vesikari, Finland.
1. FOREWORD
Civil infrastructure facilities, such as bridges, tunnels,
transportation, dam and navigation facilities, nuclear power
plants, and buildings include concrete structures whose
performance and function are necessary for the safety and
protection of operating personnel and the general public.
Aging of these structures may adversely impact their ability to
withstand future operating conditions, extreme environmental
challenges or accidents, and increase risk to public health and
safety if not controlled. Methodologies for service life
prediction of concrete structures and to manage the effects of
aging are currently under development in many fields of civil
engineering. Recent improvements have been made with
respect to design and redesign methods, surveillance,
inspection/testing, and maintenance techniques to ensure
continued safe, functional, and economical operation of
concrete structures. The state-of-the-art has progressed to the
point that specific guidelines and technical criteria to manage
aging in existing and new concrete construction can be
prepared.
2. BACKGROUND
The International RILEM Workshop on Life Prediction
and Aging Management of Concrete Structures was held in
Paris, France on 5-6 May 2003. The aim of the workshop
was to build on information contained in a related state-of-
the-art report that had been prepared by RILEM TC MLN-
160, “Methodology for Life Prediction of Concrete
Structures in Nuclear Power Plants,” and materials
presented at a previous international conference and
workshop on the same topic held in Bratislava, Slovakia, on
6-8 July 1999, and Cannes, France, on 16-17 October 2000,
respectively. Papers related to the above are available as:
“Considerations for Use in Managing the Aging of Nuclear
Power Plant Concrete Structures (RILEM Report 19, ISBN:
2-912143-07-1),” “Life Prediction and Aging Management
of Concrete Structures (Proceedings 8,
EXPERTCENTRUM, Bratislava, Slovakia),” and “Life
Prediction and Aging Management of Concrete Structures
(RILEM Report PRO 16, ISBN: 2-912143-19–5).”
The workshop was organized to be of interest to
designers and engineers, plant managers, researchers,
1359-5997/03 © RILEM
regulators, and others concerned with effective
management of aging of concrete structures. One of the
primary objectives of the workshop was to advance the goal
of safe, functional, and economical operation of civil
infrastructure facilities by providing an international forum
for highlighting recent advances in the technology
underlying aging management and service life prediction of
concrete structures. Technical presentations and workshop
proceedings were intended to update participants on current
research, present novel ideas and strategies for management
of aging of infrastructure-related facilities, and provide an
opportunity for exchanging practical experiences on
implementation of aging management policies. Topics for
which workshop papers had been solicited included:
1. Durability of concrete structures
2. Modeling techniques for service life prediction
3. Material selection and design considerations for
durability
4. Assessment methods and instrumentation systems
5. Maintenance and repair approaches for service
life extension
6. Probabilistic approaches to performance estimation
7. Aging management
8. Risk-informed decision-making
9. Case histories, performance assessments of
degraded structures, and economics of successful
aging management.
Papers presented in the current workshop are available as
“Life Prediction and Aging Management of Concrete
Structures (RILEM PRO 29, ISBN: 2-912143-36-5).” This
and other related international workshop and conference
proceedings are available from RILEM Publications s.a.r.l.,
157 rue des Blains, F-92220, Bagneux, France
(http://www.rilem.net).
3. WORKSHOP SUMMARY
The workshop was hosted by RILEM and attended by
about 50 delegates from 16 countries. After Mr. Brusin
(RILEM) and Dr. Naus welcomed the conference attendees,
Mr. Brusin presented an overview of RILEM. Technical
presentations at the workshop were organized into three major
sessions: (1) Modeling/Numerical Simulation/Service Life
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Materials and Structures / Matériaux et Constructions, Vol. 36, November 2003
Prediction; (2) Monitoring/Testing/Assessment, and (3) Strate-
gies/Life Cycle Analysis/Repair/Applications. A final session
addressed a review and finalization of the workshop. In total,
34 papers were presented during the two-day workshop.
Seven papers, mainly addressing modelling of corrosion
of concrete reinforcing steel, service life estimations, or
structural assessments, were presented during the first
session of the workshop. Computational models, based on
laboratory test results, were presented by Dr. T. Shimomura
(Japan) that can be used to describe the mechanical
behavior of concrete structures that have deteriorated due to
corrosion of the reinforcing steel. The models and
experimental results were used to investigate the variation
of the residual cross sectional area of corroded reinforcing
steel bars; the position, and the nonuniformity of concrete
surface crack width and corrosion; and the effect of
corrosion on reinforcing bar cross sectional area and
tension stiffness of the concrete. Dr. D. Bjegovic (Croatia)
summarized new models for concrete service life prediction
that are available in the form of empirical formulas,
physical models, or models based on elementary scientific
laws, for determination of concrete durability (e.g.,
ClinConc, CLODIF, Duracrete, CIKS, and Life-365).
These models were based on verification of parameters
relevant to durability that can be measured either in situ or
in the laboratory. A project involving removal of 100 cores
from 9 bridges in the Netherlands that were up to 62-years
old for the purpose of deriving coefficients of diffusion for
the bridges was described by Mr. G. Gaal (Netherlands).
Chloride profiles derived from the cores were used to
establish diffusion coefficients which were presented in
terms of age and whether Portland cement or blast-furnace
slag cement had been utilized in the concrete mixes. Dr. Y.
Petryna (Germany) proposed a global damage approach for
estimating the remaining structural capacity of civil
engineering structures based on dynamic response
measurements or calculations. The resulting damage
indicator, ranging from zero in the undamaged state to unity
in the case of failure, can be applied to structural lifetime
management in decision-making systems or inspection
planning. A simulation tool based on thermodynamics and
electrochemistry was outlined by Dr. T. Ishida (Japan) for
use in evaluation of structural behavior under coupled
environmental actions in which the system, generation, and
transfer of heat, moisture, gas, and ions in the micro-pore
structure are addressed. The tool has been used to conduct
simulation studies and examples were presented to note that
the method can roughly predict ingress of ions,
carbonation, and corrosion phenomena for different
materials, curing, and environmental conditions. The
“THI” physical model for estimating the coupled transport
of heat, moisture, and chloride ions in concrete was
reported by Dr. I. Petre-Lazar (France). The model, which
can be applied to concrete structures exposed to varying
temperatures, moisture, and chloride conditions, was
illustrated through its application to assessment of chloride
ingress into concrete cubes under two conditions, 60% and
100% relative humidity, that were suddenly immersed into
seawater. A service life approach that combines finite-
element modelling of chloride transport and a reliability-
based analytical model for onset of damage and its
accumulation for service life prediction of reinforced
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concrete structures exposed to chloride environments was
described by Dr. B. Martin-Perez (Canada). A reinforced
concrete bridge deck exposed to chlorides from de-icing
salts was investigated in which uncertainties associated
with parameters that govern the build-up of corrosion-
induced damage are modelled as random variables, and the
probabilistic distributions of the chloride penetration front
and corrosion initiation time are generated by Monte Carlo
simulation.
Session two consisted of eleven papers that primarily
addressed non-destructive evaluation, measurement of
corrosion parameters, and assessments of reinforced concrete
structures. Measurement of electrochemical, mechanical,
and environmental corrosion parameters (e.g., corrosion
potential and rate, moisture, and oxygen availability) for
service life assessment of concrete containers used for
housing drums of conditioned low- and intermediate-level
radioactive wastes at El Cabril in Spain was described by
Dr. C. Andrade (Spain). The data obtained are used as input
for a 3-D model of chloride diffusion to predict the service
life of the reinforcing steel assuming that the contaminating
source is from the steel drums contained in the concrete
containers. Dr. S. Naar (France) outlined the status of
development of an improved electrical resistivity
measurement technique addressing boundary and steel
reinforcement effects for use in non-destructive evaluation of
concrete structures. Utilizing a reinforced concrete beam in
four-point bending, electromagnetic measurements were used
to characterize the reinforcement, and electrical resistivity
measurements were used to assess damage in the form of
cracks. The influence of cover delamination on the
assessment of the corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete
through the half-cell potential mapping method was
described by Dr. A. Ouglova (France). Through a finite-
element approach, it was shown that the absolute values of
the corrosion potential in concrete are affected by cracks and
cover delaminations so this parameter may not be a good
indicator of corrosion, but the potential gradient is a good
indicator to locate corroding steel reinforcement in a
structure. A finite-element study, using special “rust”
elements to represent the interface between steel and concrete
was provided by Professor F. Buyle-Bodin (France) that
simulates the flexural behavior of corroded reinforced
concrete elements. The analytical model, validated against
available results from beams exhibiting general and localized
corrosion, was used to investigate the effect of varying the
size of the corrosion zone and the corrosion degree in the
beam mid-span region on deflections and the serviceability
limit state loads. A performance-based service life
formulation for corrosion-affected reinforced concrete
marine structures was identified by Dr. C. Q. Li (United
Kingdom) that models periods of the service life of a
structure (e.g., corrosion initiation, corrosion-induced
concrete cracking, and crack-width evolution). Time-
dependent reliability is employed to determine the
probability of attainment of each period of service life so that
structural response is closely related to design parameters,
and decisions can be made periodically with regard to the
repair or strengthening of a structure. Development of echo
methods (e.g., impulse radar, ultrasonic echo, and impact-
echo) for non-destructive testing in civil engineering for
localization and measurement of the concrete cover of steel
Naus
reinforcement and tendon ducts; thickness and geometry
determinations of structures; localization of honeycombing
and compaction faults; inspection of tendon ducts, especially
grouting defects and compaction faults around them; and
localization of delaminations of multilayered structures, was
presented and several specific applications were described by
Dr. M. Krause (Germany). For the special situation where a
building element is accessible from one side only, it was
noted that the most successful approach is to use scanning
measurement techniques and reconstruction calculations that
can produce an image of the investigated volume. Dr. G.
Moriconi (Italy) characterized a continuous monitoring
system for preventative and planned maintenance of
reinforced concrete structures that provides signals, revealed
by means of reference electrodes, that are sent to a peripheral
device for remote reading where they are analyzed, stored,
and then retransmitted to a monitoring station for final
processing. Electrode placement is governed by structure
geometry and environmental conditions, and preliminary
results demonstrate that the monitoring system can detect the
early presence of conditions promoting corrosion induction
making early intervention possible to reduce maintenance
costs. A methodology (RESTOR) for non-destructive
diagnosis of corroded reinforced concrete structures utilizing
visual observations to evaluate the corrosion state of the
concrete cover was described by Dr. T. Vidal (France) that is
aimed at re-evaluation of the mechanical behavior in service
and the load-bearing capacity of structures. Distribution of
corrosion along the structure is inserted into a mechanical
model of corroded reinforced concrete behavior that permits
prediction of the residual mechanical behavior in terms of
global displacements and strains at the service and failure
stages (currently limited to 2-D concrete structures but a 3-D
version is under development). Dr. C. Bernstone (Sweden)
presented a web-based digital imaging technique utilizing
charge-coupled device (CCD) technology in combination
with image analysis methods developed to measure
displacements and strains in mechanical test pieces that have
been assembled for remote crack monitoring of dams. The
condition monitoring system (Conwide System III) has been
applied to a cantilever buttress dam and is based on data
collection through a logger connected to sensors that monitor
the power-generation process, a graphical user interface, and
a database for long-term data storage. A method was
described by Professor J. Kasperkiewicz (Poland) for
evaluation of the current state of hardened concrete based on
structural analysis of small samples of material taken from
selected elements of the construction, supplemented by
visual observations, with data processing performed through
application of artificial intelligence (AI) such as artificial
neural networks or machine learning. Although AI is
promising and has been applied in planning the maintenance
of structures or scheduling an optimum maintenance strategy,
it has had limited application because it requires conclusions
to be developed by automatic reasoning, based on submitted
collections of examples (i.e., AI requires the preliminary
action of preparation of an experimental database containing
well defined or measurable properties of hardened concrete
for training the AI system). A new procedure for
microbiological testing of concrete simulating biogenic
sulfuric acid corrosion in sewage systems was presented by
Dr. N. De Belie (Belgium) that has been used to investigate
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the effect of the production method (w/c affect), cement type,
and aggregate type on the resistance of commercially
produced sewer pipes or inspection pits. Application of the
method, a modification of the Pomeroy model for concrete
degradation through addition of water absorption as an
important parameter, next to alkalinity, indicated that the
aggregate type influenced concrete degradation to the largest
extent and Portland cement concrete performed better than
slag cement concretes.
Sixteen papers were presented during the third session of
the workshop that primarily addressed performance-related
design methods, maintenance and repair, and applications. A
probabilistic service life estimation method for use in
maintenance planning for existing concrete structures
subjected to carbonation–induced corrosion of steel
reinforcement was presented by Dr. T. Teruzzi (Switzerland).
Using the distribution functions of concrete cover and
carbonation depth obtained from nondestructive testing and
laboratory studies, the method provides a facility manager
with service lives (time at which probability of failure
reaches a maximum allowable value), for different failure
conditions (e.g, plots of probability of failure as a function of
time for different values of concrete cover). Dr. J. Rodriguez
(Spain) outlined strategies for management of rehabilitation
of concrete structures that are being addressed within the
European research project REHABCON. The end product of
this on-going project will be a users manual that will describe
strategies for the rehabilitation of concrete structures (e.g.,
performance requirements, test methods and standards), and
descriptions of alternative repair and upgrading systems,
while integrating technical, economical, and environmental
evaluations into a management system. Considerations
towards development of performance-related design methods
for concretes to withstand environmental actions in terms of
limiting values for concrete composition and established
concrete properties were overviewed by Dr. Nevs (Portugal)
and Annex F of European Standard EN 206-1 was identified
as containing limiting values for concrete composition. The
in situ performance and durability-related properties for eight
concrete mixtures fulfilling exposure categories in the
Standard for corrosion were evaluated and results indicated
that oxygen permeability, capillary absorption, chloride
diffusion by migration, and accelerated carbonation tests can
be used in performance-related design methods. European
Pre-standard DD ENV 1504 for concrete repair with respect
to specification of basic repair material properties was
summarized by Dr. F. O’Flaherty (United Kingdom) and
properties considered important for efficient long-term
performance identified (i.e., elastic modulus, shrinkage, and
creep). Using findings from repairs to actual highway
structures, guidelines were presented for properties that will
lead to satisfactory repair material performance (e.g., elastic
modulus, free shrinkage, and tensile creep). The
development of a risk-based methodology for implementing
structural concrete patch repairs, especially with respect to
need for propping during the repair procedure, was discussed
by Dr. T. D. G. Canisius (United Kingdom). Current projects
related to development of such a methodology for patch
repairs were introduced (e.g., Foundation for Built
Environment study and REHABCON). Dr. T. van Beek
(Netherlands) presented a lifetime extending maintenance
model that can be used to prepare optimal repair strategies
Materials and Structures / Matériaux et Constructions, Vol. 36, November 2003
over the lifetime of a structure. Observations and data
obtained in the field were used to validate the model whose
primary input parameters are related to deterioration,
lifetime-extension, and cost. Dr. P. Tikalsky (United States)
characterized environmental conditions, highway
maintenance practices, design practices, specifications, and
construction techniques in the northeastern U.S. that have
produced conditions that accelerate the deterioration of
highway bridges and structures. Changes in the form of use
of performance-based concrete designs and specifications
(e.g., requirements for performance-based concrete mixtures
and detailed quality control measures to batch, place, and
cure long-life structural elements) that are being
implemented by the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation to increase the lifetime of highway-related
structures and decrease the life-cycle costs were identified. It
was noted by Dr. M. Jolin (Canada) that conventional
analytical rating methods for assessing concrete bridges in
some cases may not be capable of accurately representing the
structural behavior of existing bridges, resulting in bridges
being classified as structurally deficient even though they
don’t show major signs of distress. Three approaches
utilized by the Province of Quebec for identification of
deficient bridges are described (i.e., long-term monitoring
under service conditions, diagnostic field testing involving
static and dynamic conditions, and analytical modeling) and
a case study presented. Dr. M. Ghosn (United States)
outlined a recently developed approach for strengthening
deteriorated concrete bridge beams through attachment of
fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) sheets to the tension side of the
beams using epoxy-based adhesives. In addition, a reliability
model for studying the long-term performance of the FRP-
repaired beams to adverse environmental conditions has been
developed based on laboratory results that account for
uncertainties associated with predicting the load-carrying
capacity of the reinforced beams over their lifetime. A
statistical approach for use in managing the visual inspection
and in situ testing of a 120-span 5-km-long viaduct in Italy
was described by Dr. E. Proverbio (Italy). In the assessment,
visual inspections were utilized to develop a damage index,
which was used in conjunction with diagnostic techniques
(e.g., potential mapping, carbonation and chloride profiles,
and concrete compressive strength results) to identify areas
where rehabilitation was required. Monitoring of the 200 m
high cooling tower at the Niederaussem lignite coal power
station and studies to evaluate the durability of the cover
concrete were described by Dr. H. D. Köpper (Germany).
Monitoring investigations involved determination of dead
load, settlement, wind, temperature, material properties, steel
reinforcement corrosion, and cracking, with results
supplemented by laboratory evaluations of companion
concrete blocks subjected to somewhat harsher conditions
than experienced at the cooling tower. Dr. M. Ferreira
(Portugal) outlined a probability-based approach to service
life analysis of Norwegian concrete harbor structures that
involved field investigations (e.g., chloride penetration,
surface potential, cover measurements, and chloride
diffusivity) of three relatively new structures. Statistical
parameters that define the probability density curves for the
variables of the model developed were used to develop
probabilities of failure for key elements in the structures in
the form of curves presenting time to depassivation versus
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time of exposure, for a period up to 50 years. The
importance of post-tensioning systems to the leak tightness
and structural integrity of Swedish nuclear power plant
containments was described by Dr. P. Anderson (Sweden) as
well as measuring techniques used for determination of
tendon forces. The influence of friction between the tendon
and its conduit, both when the tendon is tensioned and when
its force is determined, was pointed out and it was noted that
under unfavorable conditions the force losses in a tendon
may not be detected by measurements at the tendon
anchorage. Dr. J-L. Valfort (France) characterized a system,
consisting primarily of embedded deformation gages and
pendula, for monitoring the inner prestressed concrete
containment vessel of the French double-wall containments
to determine whether the delayed behavior of the inner wall
is in accordance with its basic design assumptions. A
reliability-based approach, including updating to incorporate
available strain data, is utilized to account for uncertainties
and provide a realistic variability range for the predicted
long-term delayed strain behavior of the inner concrete wall.
A methodology aimed at assessment of the composite liner
that is to be used to improve the leak tightness of the
prestressed concrete inner containment of the French
1300/1450 MW(e) nuclear power units was reported by Dr.
Heinfling (France) that utilizes a reliability evaluation of
containment vessel repairs through coupling of finite-element
and probabilistic analyses. The methodology predicts long
term creep and shrinkage in the concrete wall and involves
finite-element analysis of one-quarter of the vessel with
structural reliability analysis used to compute the probability
of failure of a mechanical system with respect to a prescribed
failure criterion by accounting for uncertainties arising in the
model description or the environment (loading). An example
of how predictive models of the deterioration of reinforced
concrete pipes and the consequences of failure can be used to
develop risk-based replacement strategies for underground
reinforced concrete pipe networks was detailed by Dr. Capra
(France). Markov and semi-Markov models are used to
model pipe deterioration with strategies for replacement of
the pipes dependent on risks associated with failure of a
water distribution network and costs associated with
replacing the pipes, including removal of existing pipes, cost
of new pipes, and cost of service interruption if there is a
temporary closure.
4. CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 Conclusions
• Condition assessments involving visual
examinations supplemented by non-intrusive as well as
intrusive inspection methods provide the basis to help
assure continued reliable and safe operation of reinforced
concrete structures as well as providing data for input into
service life prediction models.
• Improved service life prediction models for ingress
of chlorides causing initiation of steel reinforcement
corrosion that incorporate increases in surface chloride
content with time and achieved diffusion coefficient have
Naus
been developed, but uncertainties still exist with respect to
extrapolations beyond the time for which data are available.
• Numerical simulation methods are available that can
be used as tools to indicate the effects of repair or
rehabilitation on service life of reinforced concrete
structures subjected to hostile environments such as
chloride exposure, but present results are more qualitative
than quantitative.
• Methodologies for simplified as well as refined
assessments of reinforced concrete structures subjected to
corrosion have been developed to indicate the general
damage level of the structures, and to indicate what effect
steel reinforcement corrosion has on the safety or structural
margins taking aleatory and epistemic uncertainties into
effect.
• Although the past durability design of concrete
structures in large measure has been dealt with indirectly
(e.g., cement content, water-cement ratio, and cover),
procedures are presently available through programs
sponsored by BRITE/EURAM and the European
Community for service life design based on performance
characteristics of the materials involved and focusing on the
specific environment, use, and maintenance strategy for the
structure, but existing degradation and environmental
models need to be improved and extended (e.g., with
respect to condition assessment and influence of repairs and
protection systems).
• Approaches are available that combine deterministic
nonlinear structural analysis, simulation of aging effects,
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and probabilistic reliability estimation for assessments of
degradation effects on concrete structures and predicting
service lives, but they are highly dependent on the quality
of the damage model utilized.
• Recent developments with respect to methods that
utilize a global damage approach based on dynamic
response measurements or artificial intelligence involving
artificial neural networks or machine learning show
promise for structural lifetime management.
• The overall performance of concrete structures in
facilities related to power generation has been good and
considerable research is presently being undertaken to
provide information for use in monitoring the in-service
condition of the structures as well as providing data and
methodologies to demonstrate continued satisfactory
performance (i.e., manage aging).
4.2 Recommendations
• A 3rd RILEM Workshop on Life Prediction and
Aging Management of Concrete Structures should be held
in Paris, France in two to three years.
• The various organizations addressing the workshop
topic (e.g., RILEM, American Concrete Institute,
BRITE/EURAM, and European Committee on Concrete)
should work more closely together to develop a consensus
approach for service life estimations of reinforced concrete
structures.