Durability Design of Concrete Structures

8Durability Design: Properties and Indicators

This chapter focuses on the material properties related to the durability of concrete structures. The deterioration of structural performance depends on both the environmental actions and the material properties. Accordingly, the material properties are central parameters for the performance deterioration laws, including the chemical properties (e.g., CH, C‐S‐H contents), electrochemical properties (e.g., corrosion resistance of steel), physical properties (e.g., diffusivity and permeability of concrete), and mechanical properties (e.g., fracture strength). Some properties, such as concrete strength, can be readily measured in the laboratory, while the measurement of other properties is more difficult. In some cases, the pertinent properties can only be deduced indirectly; for example, the ion and moisture diffusivities in unsaturated concrete. This is the very reason to extend the term “durability properties” to “durability indicators,” including any material characteristic reflecting the material resistance to deterioration. These characteristics can be performance test results in the laboratory using artificial environmental actions.

This chapter first reviews the basic properties related to the deterioration processes, followed by some fundamental relationships among the different properties of concrete. Then, the characterization methods for these properties are introduced, together with the performance tests for certain deterioration ...