An objective assessment strategy for industrial reinforced concrete structures – Case study

SANACON bv, Ghent University spin-off, Nijverheidsweg 1/A, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium

^* Corresponding author: liesbet.dewinter@sanacon.be

Abstract

Due to the booming construction wave between the 60´s and 80´s, a lot of reinforced concrete structures are now approaching their intended service life design. Concerning the industrial sector, an unforeseen shutdown of production processes due to urgent maintenance or repair actions of reinforced concrete structures can have major consequences for owners and managers. Therefore, it is important that they get a clear view of the current state of their structures in order to shift towards a more proactive maintenance. In order to recognize and assess both classic and more complex damage phenomena, a scientific approach to translate collected field data towards a service life and inherent repair strategies for the concrete structure is adopted by means of an in-house developed data analysis tool DIMCoSt (Durability Information Model for Concrete Structures). The objective assessment strategy is described in this paper by means of a case study. The subject of the case study is concrete storage silos. Although the applied methodology is mainly universal, each case has its own emphasis that must be considered regarding the decision-making process based on the owner’s or manager’s requirements. By means of this case, a scientifically based approach is presented which leads to objective decision-making regarding asset management and planning of maintenance or renovation activities.