A model for prioritizing concrete structures repair works

Abstract

The reinforced concrete assets such as bridges, tunnels, administration buildings, schools and the residential buildings are important factors in the Egyptian economy. Several researches have been made in the field of concrete defects and methods of repair. Concrete can deteriorate for a variety of reasons such as the corrosion of steel bars, design errors, construction errors and the environmental conditions. Concrete structures’ deterioration is often the result of a combination of deterioration factors. Factors that contribute to the deterioration of the reinforced concrete structures can be classified into five categories as follows: (1) Design factors such as the code requirements, the structural system, and the foundation design; (2) construction factors such as the mix design and the quality control; (3) protection factors such as the thermal insulation and the water proofing; (4) material factors such as the aggregate and the cement; and (5) the applied loads factors such as the chemicals and the earthquakes. This paper provides a model for prioritizing the concrete structures’ repair works. Past researches have been reviewed to gather the main factors that contribute to the deterioration of concrete structures. Interviews with senior engineers have been conducted during the development of the proposed model. A numerical example has been presented to demonstrate the proposed model. Keywords: Concrete structures, Repair works, Deterioration factors, Applied loads, Construction factors, Design factors