Condition assessment of reinforced concrete structures: State of the art knowledge and case studies in the TG3.3 fib Bulletin

Abstract

Reinforced concrete structures are exposed to deterioration due to aggressive environments, excessive loads, extreme events worsened by climate change effects and, in some cases, lack or insufficiency of maintenance interventions. Effective maintenance management approaches are needed to guarantee or increase their service life, while adhering to budget constraints. The optimal scheduling of maintenance actions, under a predictive regime, requires targeted and condition-informed actions to ensure a maximal return on investment, while guaranteeing a safe and performant infrastructure. A focal activity of the international federation for structural concrete (fib), developed as part of Commission 3, lies in providing guidance for the assessment of existing concrete structures. In this context, the Task Group 3.3 has recently developed a Bulletin containing practical state-of-the-art guidelines for condition assessment and support of decisionmaking procedures for the through-life management of existing concrete structures. The Bulletin is organized into 6 chapters that cover the topics of data acquisition, condition and performance assessment and decisionmaking procedures. The document is complemented with a portfolio of case studies that report practical applications to real world structures. This contribution overviews chapters 3 and 6 of the Bulletin; the former outlines methods and best practices for condition assessment, whereas the latter exemplifies application of these tools on selected case studies on actual full-scale structures.