Steel fibre corrosion in cracks durability of sprayed concrete

Abstract: Steel fibre reinforced sprayed concrete is common practice for permanent linings in underground construction. Today there is a demand on "expected technical service life" of 120 years. Thin steel fibres could be expected to discontinue carrying load fast with a decrease of fibre diameter caused by corrosion, especially in cracks. The thesis contains results from inspections on existing sprayed concrete structures and a literature review on corrosion of steel fibres in cracked concrete. To study the mechanisms ruling inititation and propagation of corrosion both field exposure tests and accelerated laboratory exposure tests with cracked steel fibre reinforced sprayed concrete have been performed. Parameters tested are type of spraying method, exposure environment, fibre length, usage of accelerators, crack width and time of exposure. A discussion on how the influence of corrosion on load bearing capacity should be considered in a service-life model is also presented.