Durability criteria applicable in forensic assessment of structures for durability are differentiated taking into account consequences of structural malfunctioning and costs of durability measures. It is shown that probabilistic methods of cost optimisation provide valuable information allowing specification of the target reliability level. An example of a reinforced concrete member exposed to carbonation shows that the adequate target reliability and the optimum concrete cover increases with increasing malfunctioning costs and decreasing discount rate.

  • ABSTRACT

  • 1 INTRODUCTION

  • 2 VERIFICATION OF SERVICE LIFE

  • 3 VERIFICATION OF THE LIMITE STATES

  • 4 TARGET RELIABILITY LEVEL

  • 5 AN EXAMPLE OF THE DURABILITY LIMIT STATE

  • 6 PROBABILISTIC OPTIMISATION

  • 7 CONCLUDING REMARKS

  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  • REFERENCES

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