Prediction of RC Bridge Member Resistance Decreasing in Time under Various Conditions in Slovakia

Reliability is one of the most significant requirements for structures given in Eurocodes. Thus, the specific level of safety, serviceability, and durability have to be satisfied to fulfill the reliability of structures. In the case of reinforced concrete (RC) members, the corrosion of reinforcement is not assumed in the stage of structure design, which is in contrast with the structures in service, where the corrosion of reinforcement can significantly decrease their diameter ø in time. In these cases, the moment resistance in time M(Rd)(t) decreases during the designed lifetime T(d) of a structure. The corrosion speed is as a basis for the calculation of moment resistance in time M(Rd)(t), i.e., a first-year corrosion rate r(corr) and a corrosion model as well. The corrosion itself is a very complicated issue, so the first-year corrosion rate r(corr) and also the corrosion model can be different under various conditions in Slovakia. The paper is focused not only to determine the corrosion speed (first-year corrosion rate r(corr) and the corrosion model) and parametric study of the moment resistance in time M(Rd)(t) under various conditions in Slovakia but also shows an overview on some parameters that may influence the corrosion process.