PRINCIPLES FOR CALCULATION/ASSESSMENT OF LOAD BEARING CAPACITY LOSS DUE TO CORROSION IN CONTECVET MANUAL APPLIED TO THE STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF LA RANCE BEAMS

摘要

This paper summarizes the principles contained in the Contecvet Manual for the assessment of corrosion-damaged structures, including its recommendations on how to incorporate the effects of corrosion on concrete and steel, bond deterioration, the cross-section of reinforcing bars and concrete cover geometry and cracking. These principles were applied to six prestressed concrete beams that had been corroding for years in a marine environment. The beams were tested to failure as part of a structural assessment benchmarking exercise involving several research centres and modellers, coordinated by the French Atomic Energy Commission Centre of Saclay (CEA-Saclay). The present paper describes the model used to analyze the beams, beginning with the structural grounds and assumptions underlying the model and the mechanical behaviour of corroded materials. This is followed by a comparison of the results of experimental testing and model predictions, which prove to be sufficiently concordant, taking into account the dispersion inherent in this type of experiments. The model constitutes a reasonable method for assessing the condition of corroding structural members.