Probabilistic estimation of the initial time of corrosion of reinforced concrete components situated in a marine environment

The work aims to make a probabilistic analysis of the initial time of corrosion of the reinforcement of reinforced concrete component due to the action of chloride ions. It is considered that the dissemination of chlorides on the concrete is in accordance with Fick's second law. It is assumed that the concentration of chlorides on the surface of the component, the critical concentration in the concrete located around the reinforcement, the concrete cover and the diffusion coefficient follow normal laws of probability. Application of the Monte Carlo method allows showing that the initial time of corrosion satisfies the Weibull distribution with three parameters. The reliability of the component in this moment is an indicator of its service life. The method is applied to the case of a reinforced concrete bridge located in marine area. The parameters were obtained from information of composition of concrete and design of structural elements analyzed.