Proposal for a New Maintenance and Deterioration Prediction System Using Center of Core

Reinforced concrete structures are used worldwide, but there are many deteriorated structures needing repair or renewal due to steel corrosion and concrete deterioration. To efficiently maintain and manage these structures, it is essential to establish more accurate deterioration prediction systems. In the current maintenance management, the surface of the structure is visually inspected for cracks, rust soup, delamination and peeling. If an abnormality is detected, the structure should be investigated using non-destructive test or a core should be taken to investigate the compressive strength and carbonation depth. The criterion is whether the deterioration factor has reached the rebar. In these cases, it is possible to deal with steel corrosion caused by deterioration factors penetrating from the surface layer. However, it is not possible to take into account internal defects and internal cracks caused by the materials used and construction, or concrete deterioration such as ASR and frost damage. The proposed system simultaneously assesses the condition of the internal concrete from cores taken for preventive maintenance and other purposes, using the centre of the core to (1) compare the surface and deep layers, (2) detect internal deterioration, and (3) predict deterioration based on the results of the comparison.