Publisher's Synopsis
One of the greatest challenges to the sustainability of civil infrastructure comes from the deterioration of structural materials, in particular the corrosion of steel in concrete structures under severe service conditions (e.g. coastal and marine environments). The direct cost of steel corrosion is estimated to be about 3% of GDP in the United States, and the situation is similar in other countries. Infrastructure maintenance represents a high consequent cost. In countries with rapid infrastructure development, such as in Asia, the predictable infrastructure ageing problems have also begun to appear.
Good practice requires a radical change from the current limit states design philosophy, which is concerned mainly with the safety and serviceability of newly-built concrete structures, to life-cycle management (LCM), the design and management of the performance of concrete structures over their known service life. LCM allows the cost-effective management of concrete structures through efficient maintenance strategies over their service life and ensures the sustainability of future concrete infrastructure from social, economic and environmental perspectives.
This book from a technical committee on Life Cycle Performance of Concrete Infrastructure under the auspices of Asian Concrete Federation presents a systematic and integrated technological basis for the life cycle management of concrete infrastructure. It gives a theoretical framework for the life-cycle management of structural performance, chronic deterioration mechanisms of concrete at both the material and structure levels; inspection and performance assessment, repair and strengthening, life-end strategies, and sustainability. Comprehensive examples are provided. These are integrated to promote the LCM technology during both the design and the maintenance phases.
It offers teaching material for undergraduate and graduate civil engineering students as well as a guide for researchers and practising engineers in materials, design, maintenance and management of concrete structures.
