Durability investigation of Calvaria Bridge and electrochemical realkalinisation as a preventive measure

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of reinforced concrete structures during their service life. Environmental attacks, such as the atmospheric carbon dioxide and the deicing chloride salts ingression, may seriously affect both the concrete section and the embedded reinforcement and may lead to failure, if immediate measures are not taken. Therefore, a case study of a real structure, the Calvaria Bridge, an intense traffic node in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, was performed, with emphasis on the effects of durability aspects on the structural performance of the elements, namely in terms of deflection. A modern repair method, electrochemical realkalinisation, was also tested in the laboratory, in order to provide a proper intervention solution to the structure, for the concrete elements affected by the ingress of carbon dioxide and thus, by carbonation.

Keywords

• damage
• carbonation
• chlorides
• bridge