Reinforced concrete in marine environment: Effect of wetting and drying cycles, height and positioning in relation to the sea shore

Abstract Many studies about service life predictions of reinforced concrete structures are under development worldwide. However, much more advanced knowledge in this area is still needed before attaining realistic models. Real case studies are extremely important to indicate the factors of influence to be considered as variables in these models, making them closer to reality. This study of a reinforced concrete structure exposed to the environment for about 40 years is inserted in this context. The chloride-ion contents from pillars of a reinforced concrete structure located in a marine environment, approximately 700 m away from the coastline are analyzed, showing the effect of the height (with samples from different levels), wetting and drying cycles and the positioning of the pillars in relation to the coastline. The results show that the higher the concrete is, the lower the chloride contamination degree. It is shown that in the absence of wetting and drying cycles, the chloride-ion contents are smaller than the threshold limit of 0.40% per cement mass. Furthermore, the results show that there is no influence of the position of the pillars in relation to the sea and that the concrete located in regions where there are wetting and drying cycles is more contaminated by chloride.