Chapter 6: Durability
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Published:2025
Roger P Johnson, Stephen J Hicks, 2025. "Durability", Designers' Guide to EN 1994-1-1: 2026 Eurocode 4: Design of composite steel and concrete structures: Part 1.1: General rules and rules for buildings, Roger P Johnson, Stephen J Hicks
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This chapter concerns the durability of composite structures. It corresponds to clause 6 which has the following clauses.
Almost all aspects of the durability of composite structures are covered by cross-references to EN 1990, EN 1992 and EN 1993. The material-independent provisions, in clause 4.6 of EN 1990, require the designer to take into account nine factors, which are essentially those in the previous EN 1990. These include the foreseeable use of the structure, the expected environmental conditions, the design criteria, the performance of the materials, and the quality of workmanship and level of control on site.
Clauses 6.3, 6.4 and 6.5 of EN 1992-1-1 define exposure classes, exposure resistance classes and concrete cover, respectively. Its Annex P (Informative) gives an alternative approach for minimum cover, based on structural classes to be given in national annexes. For the widely used exposure class method, the examples of the classes in Table 6.1 can be modified by national annexes. Minimum covers for durability (Tables 6.3 and 6.4) are also Nationally Determined Parameters.
