Corrosion effects: detection, evaluation and modelling for structural assessment

Straightforward methods are required to include corrosion effects in the structural assessment of existing RC structures and in the selection of their optimal renovation strategy. A novel protocol enabling the detection, evaluation and modelling of the corrosion effects by means of equivalent damage parameters has been recently developed. These parameters, related to easy-measurable environmental conditions, were validated against experimental data on naturally corroded structures and can be implemented in the structural analysis. The protocol guides engineers from the inspection to the structural assessment, and it allows identifying whether the risk of corrosion is significant in terms of structural performance or not, assessing the expected behaviour in the as-is condition and in case of retrofit. A brief summary of the protocol and a practical application to a case study are presented in this paper.