Probabilistic analysis of a concrete column in an aggressive soil environment

Sulphate attack is one of the most important factors that limit the lifetime of pure concrete constructions. Harsh environmental conditions have a large impact on the operational costs of concrete columns or piles dipped into soil. The results are non-deterministic; therefore, reliability analysis is often used. The strength characteristics of the substrate around the construction were modelled as one-dimensional prismatic beams related with random p-y curves. Sulphate deterioration is defined as a set of random variables jointed with two dimensional mechanical systems at acceptable levels. Fick’s second law describes the penetration of sulphate ingress into pure concrete with explicit numerical solutions for boundary conditions and an increase in the transition factor under the progress of sulphate ingress. This process was partially solved via analytical methods for sulphate ion transport and numerically for a random field. This solves the mechanical task and determines the system reliability. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed method to prevent unexpected structural failures during column service life. The proposed methodology can assist designers and can help to make decisions on existing foundations to ensure the safety of geotechnical construction.