Methodology for Calculating Life Expectancy of Existing Concrete Structures

Abstract

A study was conducted on four reinforced concrete buildings built in the desert region in one of the Arabian Gulf states in the late seventies to mid eighties to assess the remaining life expectancy of these buildings. Testing included core sampling, CAPO semi-destructive testing, half-cell potential measurements, cover meter, dust sampling analysis, water penetration measurements, cement content, cement type and carbonation depth evaluation. A modification of the BS-ISO 15686 -1:2000 (Ref.1) equation for the life expectancy is presented to incorporate the role of the dominant variables in the estimation of the life expectancy of the four buildings