Optimal Maintenance Plan for RC Members by Minimizing Life-Cycle Cost Including Deterioration Risk Due to Carbonation

Abstract

This paper presents various models of deterioration due to carbonation taking into consideration uncertainty factors to estimate the initiation and the rate of corrosion and to analyze the structural capacity and serviceability of RC members, i.e. shear capacity, bending strength and width of severe cracking or spalling of columns and beams with corroded reinforcing bars, based on simple formulas formed through past experiments. Then, it goes on to propose a method for evaluating the failure and severe spalling/cracking probability during earthquakes and the deterioration risk of members in specified years from construction. Further, through application of an immune algorithm to the minimization of the life-cycle cost including deterioration risk, an optimal maintenance plan and semi-optimal solutions with a high diversity for reinforced concrete members can be found in a single analysis. Finally, a case study is conducted to establish the effectiveness of this system.