Title : INCREASING THE DURABILITY OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS
Authors : Frédéric Blin and Christian Christodoulou
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Price : 250
Abstract : The planning, design, construction and operation of durable and sustainable reinforced concrete infrastructure can be achieved through a whole-of-life asset management approach. By considering operational and maintenance requirements and costs at the creation or rehabilitation phase of an asset, as opposed to focussing only on minimising short-term capital costs, long-term benefits can be achieved. This includes reducing use of materials, resources and costs that can be alternatively utilised for more sustainable activities. This lifecycle-based approach to the development of new assets or the rehabilitation of existing structures aligns with the recently released ISO 5500X “Asset Management” series of standards as well as with ISO 13823 - “General principles on the design of structures for durability” and ISO 15686 “Buildings and constructed assets - Service life planning”. Around the world, economic, social and environmental sustainability considerations require extending the service life of existing assets well beyond their original design life. An existing asset can provide useful information on durability performance and environmental exposure conditions over its service life, based on which specific solutions for life extension can be selected. However, the original design basis of the asset such as structural form, reinforced concrete specification, detailing and maintenance arrangements can present significant challenges on the choice of repair, refurbishment or rehabilitation solutions as there are numerous technical factors, business impacts and stakeholder demands that need to be comparatively analysed and assessed. This paper discusses the application of asset management and durability-based frameworks for improving the decision making associated with extending the service life of existing assets. It reviews the selection of remediation options by presenting examples in Europe and Australia, with a focus on the electrochemical techniques most commonly employed and their whole-of-life performance.