Repair, Reinforcement and Protection of Marine Structures

Introduction

Constructions in marine environments are well known for being critical concerning reduced lifetime due to damages caused by environmental exposure, as well as having a very high cost for maintenance and repair.

Many of the constructions are very important parts of the infrastructure and include both bridges and harbour structures as well offshore installations within the energy sector.

This guide intends to inform on the challenges for constructions in the marine environment and give a complete overview of important “need to know” topics including the mechanisms for degeneration, inspections and diagnosis, methods for repair and protection as well as systems for upgrading of the constructions.

One goal of the guide is to help owners of these constructions to plan and do correct actions in time, to extend the lifetime.

This will reduce the lifecycle costs of the construction as well as reduce the impacts on the environment.

General concepts

• Definitions
• What are the typical marine structures in Europe?
• What materials are used in this type of marine structures?

Inspections, diagnostic, and monitoring of marine structures

• What does the evaluation of a structure consist of and what are its stages?
• How and with which frequency the inspections of marine structures should be done?
• What are the objectives of a diagnosis and who should be articulated to fulfil it?
• What is structural monitoring, what are its main objectives and what methods can be used for it?

Concrete common deterioration processes on marine structures

• What are the effects of the marine environment on concrete and reinforcement?
• Which are the main mechanism for the degradation of concrete in marine structures?
• Which are the possible influencing parameters for the corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete in marine structures?

Protection and preventive measures of concrete on marine structures

• What are surface treatment systems and which are used to protect the concrete of marine structures?
  • Hydrophobic impregnations
  • Impregnations
  • Coatings
• What other methods of protection are used as preventive measures in this type of structures?
  • Stainless Steel
  • Corrosion inhibitors
  • Cathodic protection
    – COMMON GALVANIC CATHODIC PROTECTION APPLICATIONS
    – COMMON IMPRESSED CURRENT CATHODIC PROTECTION APPLICATIONS
  • Antimicrobial protectants-reducing agents in concrete
  • Pile Encapsulation

Concrete repair in marine structures

• What are the steps to follow when repairing the concrete of a marine structure?
• Which are the methods for concrete repair used in marine structures?
• How should concrete be prepared prior to repair?

Methods for the upgrade of marine structures

• What methods for reinforcement of marine structures exist?

Other materials

• Steel
• Wood
• Stone

Links

• Guide about Repair, Reinforcement and Protection of Marine Structures

   

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