Non-linear time dependent model of corrosion for the reliability assessment of maintained structural components

摘要

In the presence of general corrosion, the thickness of metal structures will depend mainly on that effect and this will affect the resistance provided by the net section. The paper proposes a model for describing the corrosion wastage of steel components as a function of time and compares it with existing data and approximations. The corrosion model is incoroporated in a reliability formulation for the reliability of structural components subjected to repair. The reliability is predicted by a time variant formulation and the effects of repair and maintenance actions in the reliability assessment are shown. The sensivity of the reliability estimates with respect to several parameters is also studyied and in particular the predictions are compared with the ones of the widespread model of linear effect. Examples are given for plated structures and for piplines.