Seismic Reliability of RC Bridges Subject to Corrosion and Retrofitted with FRCM Composites

Aggressive environmental conditions can lead to fast deterioration of structures, especially bridges which are highly exposed to severe conditions. Reinforcement corrosion induced by carbonatation or chlorides can cause a constant loss in the structure capacity in time. When severe environmental conditions fall in highly seismic zones the issue gets more complicated and the overall risk increases. Among available retrofitting techniques, composite materials can be used to strengthen and prevent further deterioration. The present paper investigates the effectiveness of FRCM confinement techniques for retrofitting an existing two-span, simply supported reinforced concrete bridge subjected to chloride-induced corrosion. A seismic reliability approach is used for the seismic assessment of the structure. Time-variant reliability profiles are computed for different deterioration and retrofitting scenarios and reliability gains and losses at different time instants and for different retrofitting scenarios can be determined to support decision-making in bridge management policies.