Comparison of the service life, life-cycle costs and assessment of hybrid and traditional reinforced concrete through a case study of bridge edge beams in Sweden

The edge beams of reinforced concrete bridges with de-icing salts sprayed experience extensive corrosion damage. The average service life of edge beams needing replacement in Sweden has been reported as only 45 years, causing great economic loss to both owners and users. Hence, finding a durable solution for edge beams would benefit society. Hybrid reinforced concrete structures, produced by adding a low-to-moderate fibre content into traditional reinforced concrete, can effectively limit the service crack width and improve resistance to chloride-induced corrosion damage. In this paper, different alternatives of hybrid and traditional reinforced edge beams were designed for a case study. The service life of the alternatives was compared by conducting chloride diffusion calculations and by applying a corrosion-induced cracking model. The economic and environmental (indicated by greenhouse gas emissions) benefits of using hybrid reinforced edge beams were assessed by life-cycle cost analysis and life-cycle assessment. The results showed that the service life of edge beams made of hybrid reinforced concrete can be prolonged by over 58%, thereby enabling a significant reduction in the total life-cycle costs and annual total greenhouse gas emissions.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the use of hybrid reinforced concrete edge beams as a durable solution for corrosion damage. The service life of different beam alternatives was compared using chloride diffusion calculations and a corrosion-induced cracking model. The results show that using hybrid reinforced concrete can significantly prolong the service life of edge beams, leading to reduced life-cycle costs and greenhouse gas emissions.