Effects of Concrete Deterioration on Safety of Dams

The objective of this project was to determine the influences of concrete deterioration on the safety of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) structures and how deterioration can impact Reclamation’s risk evaluation process. In addition, tasks needed to accomplish the objective of evaluating the risks as a function of time for deteriorating concrete structures are identified. A major component of this report is an evaluation of models to predict the influences of various deterioration mechanisms on the strength and elastic properties of concrete. Although the focus of this report relates to risk assessment, we envision that models to predict concrete properties resulting from ongoing deterioration would be very useful for operations and maintenance planning and budgeting. The results of this report can serve as a basis for evaluating future research proposals to develop specific tools for use in evaluating risks associated with concrete deterioration.