The reinforced concrete assets such as bridges, tunnels, administration buildings, schools
and the residential buildings are important factors in the Egyptian economy. Several researches
have been made in the field of concrete defects and methods of repair. Concrete can deteriorate
for a variety of reasons such as the corrosion of steel bars, design errors, construction errors and
the environmental conditions. Concrete structures’ deterioration is often the result of a combination
of deterioration factors. Factors that contribute to the deterioration of the reinforced concrete
structures can be classified into five categories as follows: (1) Design factors such as the code
requirements, the structural system, and the foundation design; (2) construction factors such as
the mix design and the quality control; (3) protection factors such as the thermal insulation and
the water proofing; (4) material factors such as the aggregate and the cement; and (5) the applied
loads factors such as the chemicals and the earthquakes. This paper provides a model for prioritizing
the concrete structures’ repair works. Past researches have been reviewed to gather the main factors
that contribute to the deterioration of concrete structures. Interviews with senior engineers
have been conducted during the development of the proposed model. A numerical example has been
presented to demonstrate the proposed model. |
