On improving the infrastructure service life using ECC to mitigate rebar corrosion

Title: On improving the infrastructure service life using ECC to mitigate rebar corrosion
Author(s): Mo Li, Ravi Ranade, Lili Kan, Victor C. Li
Paper category : conference
Book title: 2nd International Symposium on Service Life Design for Infrastructures
Editor(s): K. van Breugel, Guang Ye, Yong Yuan
Print-ISBN: 978-2-35158-096-7
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-097-4
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2010
Pages: 773 - 781
Total Pages: 9
Nb references: 14
Language: English

Abstract: This paper presents the results of service life estimation and life cycle cost analysis of an infrastructure application - bridge decks. Two types of materials are investigated in the comparative assessment viz. Reinforced Concrete (R/C) and Reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite (R/ECC). ECC is a micromechanically designed high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composite (HPFRCC) with high ductility and improved durability due to tight crack width. Life-365, an industry standard software, is used as a simple computation tool to predict service life and life cycle costs. Deterioration of reinforced concrete structures caused by corrosion of reinforcing steel bars due to chlorides is the main durability concern in this study. A framework has been developed to systematically predict the service life and life cycle costs based on the transport properties of the materials used.
Results indicate that the use of ECC with or without inhibitors significantly prolongs the service life and reduces the life cycle costs. Self-healing of ECC further enhances the service life by sealing of cracks, thereby preventing the ingress of chloride ions. Upfront unit material cost of ECC is higher than concrete but its advantages in terms of life cycle costs to the agency (DOTs) can be quantified through such life cycle assessment.

Online publication: 2011-04-20
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00