The damage function concept in the deterioration science of concrete

Title: The damage function concept in the deterioration science of concrete
Author(s): Richard A. Livingston
Paper category : conference
Book title: International RILEM Symposium on Concrete Science and Engineering: A Tribute to Arnon Bentur
Editor(s): J. Weiss, K. Kovler, J. Marchand, and S. Mindess
Print-ISBN: None
e-ISBN: 2912143926
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2004
Nb references: 7
Language: English

Abstract: The damage function is the quantitative relationship describing the effect of exposure to an agent of degradation upon the material of interest, for example the amount of corrosion produced in reinforcing steel by a given amount of chlorides. More formally, the damage function is the acceleration in the rate of damage associated with a change in the level of a damage agent. The mathematical form of the damage function varies with the nature of the exposure, the material and the measure of damage. Since concrete is typically exposed to multiple agents of degradation, there would have to be an array of damage functions to fully characterize the situation. The damage function itself may depend upon several environmental factors such as temperature or relative humidity, and thus it is written as a partial differential equation in terms of these factors. The damage function is an intrinsic property of the material of interest. It is necessary for estimating service life, but by itself it is not sufficient. Other factors that have to be taken into account include critical damage levels, and economic considerations. Finally, the damage function approach is sometimes confused with the dose-response approach, which is based on reliability theory.

Online publication: 2004-03-25
Classification: General Issues in Durability
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00
doi: 10.1617/2912143926.051