A coupled chemical-electro-mechanical model for multi-ion corrosion-induced degradation in offshore reinforced concrete: Development and potential for residual life assessment

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures degrade over time throughout their service life. Particularly, offshore RC structures are vulnerable to premature deterioration due to rebar corrosion and cracking of the concrete cover, caused by exposure to multiple aggressive ions such as sulphate, chloride, and carbon dioxide. Although much effort has been spent to understand the fundamental corrosion mechanism of RC structures, the synergistic effects of the multiple aggressive ions attack under marine environment have not been fully understood. In the present study, a coupled chemical-electro-mechanical model was developed to predict the residual life of offshore RC structures by assessing the corros..