A methodology for comparing the chloride penetration severity across different tidal zones

Corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete structures exposed to the marine tidal environment severely affects the durability of structures. Comparing the severity of corrosion vulnerability across tidal zones requires a systematic procedure encompassing various environmental factors affecting tidal zones. A mathematical framework for comparing the severity of chloride penetration in concrete structures exposed to tidal zones at different coastal stations is proposed in this study. Validated moisture and chlo-ride transport models are used to simulate the long-term moisture and chloride profiles in concrete exposed to tidal wetting and drying. The boundary conditions are formulated using real-time tide heights and several meteorological parameters: temperatures, wind velocities, and relative humidity values. Various penetration indices are used to characterize the severity of chloride and moisture penetration in concrete from the viewpoint of corrosion initiation. The developed framework has been implemented for the case of two Indian seaports located at Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. The proposed methodology may be extended to conduct a comparative corrosion vulnerability assessment of various coastal stations and classify them into durability zones.Copyright (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-ence on Advances in Construction Materials and Structures.

Automated summary

This study proposes a mathematical framework for comparing the severity of chloride penetration in concrete structures exposed to different tidal zones. Validated moisture and chloride transport models are used to simulate the moisture and chloride profiles in concrete, considering real-time tide heights and meteorological parameters. This method can be used to compare the corrosion vulnerability of different coastal stations and classify them based on durability.