Sustainable design of concrete repairs affected by corrosion: a case study for cathodic protection systems
Publication date
2026-02-20
Document type
Forschungsartikel
Author
Organisational unit
Scopus ID
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Series or journal
Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
ISSN
Peer-reviewed
✅
Part of the university bibliography
✅
Language
English
Keyword
ageing
cathodic protection
concrete repairs
corrosion
life cycle assessment
reinforced concrete structures
sustainability
Abstract
The ageing of existing reinforced concrete structures is a significant challenge for infrastructure in industrialised countries. Repairing structures is often the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to achieve or even extend their service life. However, concrete repair has several implications in terms of cost, environmental and social impacts that need to be addressed to find the most sustainable solution. This paper proposes a design framework for the sustainable repair of existing reinforced concrete structures. The framework integrates current standard practices with the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. The framework facilitates the design of repair strategies considering the concept of sustainability, structure inherent constraints, project objectives, and stakeholder preferences. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated through a case study on the design of an electrochemical repair (cathodic protection) for a bridge affected by chloride-induced corrosion. The results highlight the importance of considering all life cycle phases during the repair design process to achieve the most sustainable solution. In particular, the durability of the repair emerges as one of the most critical input parameters, as it influences the environmental impact and cost, and thus the optimal design solution.
Description
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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Online first
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