Livslängdsdimensionering av korrosionsutsatta betongkonstruktioner

Sammanfattning: Through history, iron has mainly been used as reinforcement in concrete. Contemporary building technology would not have been possible without reinforced concrete, however, from a global perspective, many concrete buildings have begun to encounter reinforcement corrosion, mainly due to chlorides and carbonation. When the chlorides come into contact with the reinforcing bars, a chemical reaction begins, which causes the iron to oxidize and begin to corrode. In a humid environment when the reinforcement corrodes, the iron expands and bursts the concrete from inside, which in turn results in cracks occurring in the concrete structure. In an environment with lack of oxygen, it often occurs that non expanding rust products form that are not defected on the concrete surface occurs through discoloring or spalling. This type of damage is not detected ocularly and therefore forms a more serious type of injury. This type of rust is a silent type of damage that can cause deteriorated bearing capacity in the construction, since the cross-sectional area of the reinforcement in the concrete decreases. Sweco has been involved in a couple of projects where there have been huge problems due to corrosion of reinforcement. The damages that emerged leading to the repairs of these type of damage costing large sums. This report is based on previous projects, articles, literature studies, reports and interviews. Interviews have been conducted with competent people who have shared their valuable opinions, knowledge and experiences. In order to stop ongoing corrosion of reinforcement and also repair the damage, several alternative solution and repair measures have been devolped. Some of the most relevant suggestions in this report is to remove the damaged concrete and then re-cast or alternatively cast in cathodic protection or a combination of these.