An investigation of chloride penetration and maintenance strategies for concrete structures by a modeling approach

It has been known that chloride penetration can cause detrimental effects on concrete structures especially in the marine environment. In this study, we investigate the penetration of chloride ions into the concrete structures and factors that may influence the maintenance plan by mathematical approach. With the aid of a simple model derived from Fick's second law and the finite difference techniques, we found that physical holes on the concrete surface, maintenance strategies for the year of cover replacement, cracks and their angles are important determinants of service life prediction of concrete structures and their replacement schedules.