Service Life Prediction for Concrete Structures by Time-Depth Dependent Chloride Diffusion Coefficient

Abstract

This paper uses the time-depth dependent chloride diffusion coefficient obtained from the analytical solution of the nonlinear chloride diffusion equation at nonsteady state to propose a new life prediction model of concrete structures exposed to a chloride environment. The proposed theoretical model treats the chloride diffusion coefficient as a variable dependent on time, depth, and chloride content of concrete rather than a constant as normally assumed. Detailed step-by-step guides to the practical application with this model are provided. Based on the illustrated example, the comparison of the service life prediction calculated by this model and the well-known LightCon model is addressed. However, the proposed model should remain to be verified by using long term field data for the potential failure impacts in the durability design of concrete structures.