Bridging the Gap from Lab to Field: Concrete Durability

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Based on the 2016 Canadian Infrastructure Report Card, approximately 33% of Canadian infrastructure is in fair, poor or very poor' condition. More specifically, 33% of 75,000 highway bridges are structurally or functionally deficient, yielding shorter service lives than anticipated, diminishing structural safety and burdening the economy, environment and society. Durability is commonly evaluated based on accelerated laboratory tests. However, there is a disconnect between long-term durability evaluated under well-controlled laboratory conditions and the actual conditions of concrete structures in the field. Laboratory specimens subjected to accelerated durability tests do not consider the presence of reinforcement, restraint, application of compressive or tensile stress or exposure to coupled degradation mechanisms. The applicant proposes a three-pronged approach that will improve the ability to translate results from laboratory studies of concrete durability to field durability of concrete structures. The three short-term objectives are to: 1) Evaluate the effect of internal swelling reaction mechanisms on the anisotropic behavior of concrete due to a variety of factors including: casting direction, specimen shape, aggregate type, and presence of reinforcement. 2) Identify laboratory test procedures including conditioning and sequencing, that encourage pessimum (worst case) behavior which will be applied and used to advance the understanding of coupled degradation mechanisms on concrete performance. 3) Determine the implications and corresponding mechanisms of stress application to concrete specimens undergoing internal swelling reactions (alkali silica reaction and on concrete damage and service life estimates. The long-term goals of this research program are to develop: 1) new protocols for the inspection, testing, and prognosis of existing structures that account for the anisotropic behavior of concrete; 2) new laboratory test specifications (i.e. MTO, CSA, ASTM) to evaluate concrete exposed to coupled durability mechanisms; and 3) more accurate service life predictions of concrete structures based the performance and properties of reinforced, mechanically loaded concrete specimens. This will effectively bridge the aforementioned disconnect between the interpretation of laboratory concrete durability tests and the field performance of structures. The thrust of this research program complements current advances in research, and is of practical interest to Canadian industry, designers, owners, and operators of concrete infrastructure. Advancements in this area will result in fewer durability-related structural failures, improve diagnosis/prognosis of existing structures, and will enable the design of new concrete infrastructure to have longer service lives than ever before. This is both economically and environmentally beneficial.