An overview and sensitivity study of a multimechanistic chloride transport model

Service life prediction models have been developed in order to ensure adequate durability of reinforced concrete structures in chloride environments. Many of the models currently available are overly simplistic, assuming chloride ingress occurs solely by diffusion and that boundary conditions and concrete properties (i.e., diffusivity) remain constant with time. This paper describes a recently developed model that considers multimechanistic transport, chemical binding, and the time-dependent nature of concrete properties. The results of a sensitivity analysis carried out on eight of the input parameters in the model are also reviewed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.