Concept of design assurance for operational reliability of reinforced concrete structures in severe conditions

Abstract

This work considers the concept of a systematic approach to the design assurance of equal reliability of structures under normal and severe operating conditions during their service life corresponding to the time of exhaustion of concrete frost resistance resource. It is proposed to analyze the reliability of structures in terms of the probability of a parametric failure, diagnosed as the achievement of the design and normative level by technical suitability indicators. The necessary (under conditions of equi-reliability!) correction of the initial values of concrete and reinforcement strength indicators is explained by dynamic models that take into account statistical patterns of their change during freezing-thawing cycles as well as the effect of reinforcement level. The time factor of the fatigue wear process is modeled by relative (to the design frost resistance) cycles, while the aggressiveness of external environment is modeled by an equi-consequential number of standard frost test cycles.