DURABILITY DESIGN FOR NEW CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AT PORTS

CHRIS EDWARDS AECOM Inc

Durability is defined as the ability to resist environmental and service conditions for a specified period

The specified period is a critical value chosen as the service life of the structure well before the design phase. This value is often chosen as 50 years But increasingly as 100 years

I designed the Gateway Bridge in Brisbane Australia to meet a 300 year service life
The structure at the end of its service life is usually thought of as having deteriorated but still in operational condition. This is often the situation when the asset owners realise they cannot continue without this structure and seek to prolong its life

Durability design is part of the structural design process as the choice of concrete quality, depth of cover concrete and quantity of reinforcing bars are common to both processes Durability usually requires higher concrete quality and greater steel densities for resistance of chloride ingress and control of cracking than is required for structural design Therefore, durability design should be done as the first step so the structural designers can use the additional requirements more efficiently

Chloride attack on reinforcing bars is the main cause of deterioration of concrete at Ports so generally governs the durability design Other causes such as carbonation, sulfate attack or chemical attack are significant only in special circumstances such as road tunnels (carbonation), acid sulfate soils or chemical loading berths. These issues can also be dealt with on an as needed basis Heat development in large concrete sections can cause cracking that can reduce durability and structural integrity . But can be controlled to avoid problems

Design for durability of concrete at Ports is generally dominated by designing to control the rate of chloride ingress and chloride attack on reinforcing bars

Chloride ions, from sodium chloride and magnesium chloride in seawater, diffuse through the concrete without affecting it However, the chlorides eventually reach the reinforcing bars and attack it very aggressively. The corrosion products from this reaction have a greater volume than steel so cause internal pressure that breaks the cover concrete apart, giving us the visible deterioration known as spalling.

 Chloride ingress is time dependent and the process is well known The rate of steel corrosion is also very well known There are developed methods for estimation of chloride ingress and attack Application of this knowledge allows us to design the concrete mix and the structure to provide sufficient resistance to chloride ingress to meet design life requirements

Fig 4 - Galvanic Corrosion

Potential Difference Total Resistance R

Rc =

Pc 3.142 x L 1

Ln

(2 x L 1) a1

-1

Ra =

Pa 4 x 3.142 2 x L 2

8 x L 2/r

Ln (4 x L 2/d) Ln (8 x L 2/r)

Pc = Resistivity of Electrolyte near cathode L1 = Length of the Cathode a1 = The Effective Radius = (2 x r x d) 0.5 r = Radius of Reinforcement d = Depth of Cover

Pa = Resistivity of Electrolyte near anode L2 = Length of the anode r = Radius of Reinforcement d = Depth of Cover

Corrosion Rate = I corr. (Amp/cm 2) x 11560 mm/year

The chloride diffusion characteristics of the concrete can be tested or estimated. An accurate test using the salt ponding method (Nordtest NT 443 or AASHTO T259) takes several months but we are able to make quite accurate estimations so this method is often used. Rapid testing using electric charge transmission is not useful for estimating
Ficks 2nd law of diffusion is commonly used to estimate the time period for chloride ingress.
Ficks Diffusion Solution
C(x,t) = Co(1-erf x)
where x =
C(x,t) Co d D t erf x = = = = = =

3 2,5 Chloride (wt % cem) 1 0 0 50 100 150 Time (years) 200 250 300

d Dt

1,5

chloride concentration at depth x and time t surface chloride level thickness of the diffusion layer (cm) diffusion coefficient (cm/sec 2) time (secs) 1 1+e(x) |e(x)|<5x10-4 (1+a1x+a2x2+a3x3+a4x4)4 a1=0.278393 a2=0.000972 a2=0.230389 a4=0.078108

0,5

The resistance of reinforced concrete to chloride ingress is governed by: Environmental Conditions (salinity of water, temperature) Location in relation to the water (coastal, near, splash/tidal zone, submerged) Concrete Quality (cement content, cement type and supplementary cementitious materials , water/cement ratio) Depth of cover concrete over reinforcing bars
The rate of steel corrosion is governed by: Bar diameter Length of cathode and anode All of these characteristics are accounted for in durability design

Durability Design Process Durability design aims to achieve the specified design life with the greatest economy and employs a defined process as:
1. 2. Determine the concrete quality required to meet the design life. Several types of concrete may be required for different conditions The concrete design may require supplementary materials such as fly ash, slag or silica fume to achieve the required quality, depending on what is economically available

3.

Develop a performance specification for the concrete - a performance specification leaves the responsibility for the concrete quality in the hands of the concrete supplier while giving them flexibility to achieve the required characteristics most economically Design the concrete cover and reinforcing detailing to achieve durability and control cracking
Review the design for heat development cracking

4.
5.

Means of Achieving Durability in Design

Improve the Concrete: Partially replace GP cement with Fly ash, Slag or Silica Fume Reduce the water/cement ratio Use Precast concrete elements wherever possible Change the Geometry Increase the depth of cover concrete (practical maximum of 75 mm) Increase the steel density to control cracking Additional Measures Apply coatings to selected areas Install wave suppressors at the front of wharves to reduce splash

Precast
Precast concrete performs very well in marine conditions because of its greater quality derived from: Lower water/cement ratio Lower voids content (from improved compaction) Greater consistency in the concrete mix and concrete placement Greater accuracy in location of reinforcing bars with few areas of low cover Superior surface condition reduces the surface chloride content

Other Factors
If local concrete supply cannot achieve the concrete specification The concrete design can be changed and supplementary materials brought in for the project Precast concrete elements can be used as much as possible Precast concrete elements can be made in other locations and shipped in The geometric design can be changed to give increased cover to the bars Additional measures such as coatings can be used

Some typical design life for Concrete at Port of Cartagena

180 160 140 120

SUBMERGED

ABOVE THE WATER SPLASH ZONE

PRECAST

Time (years)

100 80

60
40 20 0

Structural life Corrosion activation