Corrosion behaviour of reinforced concrete: Laboratory experiments and archaeological analogues for long-term predictive modelling

In the context of the nuclear waste storage, reinforced concrete will be used for various purposes such as cell structures and some types of containers (e.g. for intermediate level wastes). These structures are required to be safe and reliable in varying environments for long periods of time (up to several hundred years). This paper presents a specific approach that is developed in France at CEA and EDF for the prediction of long-term behaviour of such structures. It discusses the experimental and theoretical approaches which have been developed. It is based on interactive studies dedicated to short term experimentations (corrosion and mechanical behaviour of structures), characterization and specific tests on archaeological analogues, both used to develop mechanistic understanding and modelling of corrosion and mechanical behaviour of reinforced concrete. Advantages and limits of these different and complementary aspects are presented and discussed. Moreover the prediction results of a specific mechanistic model have been confronted to real structures exposed to atmospheric conditions for many years.