42907 Design for Durability
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): (48352 Construction Materials OR 48353 Concrete Design) AND (120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10061 Bachelor of Engineering Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10067 Bachelor of Engineering OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10066 Bachelor of Engineering Science OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10062 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Arts International Studies Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10063 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Arts International Studies OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10065 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Business OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10068 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Business Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10073 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Science OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10074 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Science Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10075 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Medical Science OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10076 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Medical Science Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10078 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Biotechnology OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10079 Bachelor of Engineering Bachelor of Biotechnology Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09067 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Diploma Professional Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09066 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09069 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Arts International Studies Diploma Professional Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09068 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Arts International Studies OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09070 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Business OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09071 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Business Diploma Professional Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09072 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Science OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09073 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Science Diploma Professional Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09074 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Medical Science OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09075 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Bachelor of Medical Science Diploma Professional Engineering Practice)
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.
Description
This subject covers the durability design of plain and reinforced concrete structures under various environmental loads leading to specific design life. Australian Standards require structures to be designed and built to a design life of 50 years for buildings and 100 years for infrastructure. This subject also includes the specifications and quality control measures necessary to achieve the service life by preventing durability issues during the construction phase. The risk of early age concrete cracking due to restrained shrinkage is covered in the last part of the subject. Students learn to understand the basic deterioration mechanisms of concrete and reinforcing steel, and to appreciate the relative importance of various control measures during the design, construction and maintenance of structures.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify and evaluate the dominant environmental loads affecting the durability performance of a concrete structure. Identify principal deterioration mechanism(s) and other inherent durability issues associated with various structural components of a concrete structure. (D.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Apply specific design life model(s) to design each structural component from first principles, and specify the various types of concrete and concrete cover required for the structure. Compare and contrast design solutions derived from first principles with design requirements in relevant Australian Standards AS 3600 or AS 5100. (C.1) |
| 3. | Prepare a Durability Plan report covering the durability design and concrete specifications, and key Quality Control measures beyond those recommended in current Australian Standards. (C.1) |
| 4. | Identify and evaluate the dominant processes leading to concrete cracking. (D.1) |
| 5. | Reducing the risk of restrained shrinkage induced concrete cracking by assessing the time to concrete cracking according to environmental conditions and determining the minimum required curing duration. (C.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, to explore, test, analyse and synthesise complex ideas, theories or concepts. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply theoretical, conceptual, software and physical tools and advanced discipline knowledge to research, evaluate and predict future performance of systems characterised by complexity. (D.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
- 1.6. Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline.
- 2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
- 2.3. Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.
- 2.4. Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects.
- 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
Teaching and learning strategies
Student learning in the subject is facilitated through a two-hour lecture/workshop and a one-hour tutorial and design review session each week. Additionally, 3 drop-in sessions are available for interactive discussion. Students are expected to read the indicated materials comprising lecture/workshop notes, specific references and work through the associated online tutorial questions before the lecture/workshop. Lecture/workshops can then focus on discussion of the challenging aspects of the material. There will also be several guest speakers who will deliver state-of-the-art content on current durability topics.
The tutorial sessions will consist mainly of problem-solving and discussion in small groups. Students are expected to attempt the tutorial questions before the scheduled session, to inform the discussion in the tutorials. In addition, tutorials will be used to enable students to understand how durability requirements have been derived in Australian standards.
Students will undertake their case studies on a structure or a group of structures of their choice and present their findings to the class in design review and drop-in sessions.
Content (topics)
The topics covered are:
1. Durability and design life concept
2. Environmental loads
3. Corrosion of steel in concrete
4. Corrosion of concrete
5. Roles of concreting materials in durability design
6. Impact of structure design on durability
7. Design to standard and design to specific environment from first principle.
8. Specifications and Quality Control (QC)
9. Concrete cracking processes
10. Control of restrained shrinkage induced early age concrete cracking
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Online Quiz 1 – Corrosion
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment task is to assess students’ level of understanding of the durability design life concept, chloride-induced and carbonation-induced reinforcement corrosion, corrosion of concrete and how cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can be used to improve the durability of concrete. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
| Length: | Time allowed is 24hrs |
Assessment task 2: Major Design Project – Part 1: Design for durability report
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment task is for students to undertake a detailed design and construction plan for durability from the service life design viewpoint. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 |
| Type: | Project |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Each student will submit a 3000 words (maximum) Service Life Design report for assessment. |
Assessment task 3: Online Quiz 2 – Alkali-Silica Reaction
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment task is to assess students’ level of understanding of deleterious alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and its prevention, the structural design consideration, and the use of standards, specifications and compliance criteria to deliver a structure with a specific design life. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
| Length: | Time allowed is 24hrs. |
Assessment task 4: Major Design Project – Part 2: Control of early age cracking report
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment task is for students to design the reinforced concrete top-slab of a bridge deck aiming to reduce the risk of restrained shrinkage induced concrete cracking. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Project |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | Each student will submit a 1000-word (maximum) Control of Concrete Cracking Report for assessment. |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Required texts
Stuart Matthews, Design of durable concrete structures, IHS BRE Press. ISBN 978-1-84806-175-0.
Recommended texts
Apart from the required textbook on the subject, a range of standards and published papers are recommended to students as follows:
- Standards Australia. Concrete Structures AS 3600-2009 and Commentary to AS 3600-2014
- Teychenne, D.C., Franklin, R.E. and Erntroy, ‘H.C. Design of normal concrete mixes’, Building Research Establishment, HMSO,1975.
- BRE ‘Concrete in aggressive ground’, Special Digest 1:2005, Garstone, Watford, UK.
- Sirivivatnanon, V., Tam, C.T. and Ho, D.W.S., ‘Special Concrete and Application’, Chapter 42, The Civil Engineering Handbook, Second Edition, edited by W.F. Chen and J.Y. Richard Liew, CRC Press LLC, September 2002.
- Ho, D.W.S and Lewis, R.K., ‘The Compliance of Concretes with the Durability Requirements of AS 3600’, Proc., Int. Conf. on the use of fly ash, slag, silica fume and other siliceous materials in concrete Concrete for the Nineties, Leura, Australia, Sep. 1990.
- Guirguis, S., ‘Durability of reinforced concrete structures: the Australian Experience’, Second CANMET Int Conf on Durability of Concrete, Montreal, Canada, 1991. 21p.
- Cao, H.T. and Sirivivatnanon, V., ‘Service Life Modelling of Crack-freed and Cracked Reinforced Concrete Members subjected to Working Load’, Proceedings CIB Building Congress 2001, Wellington, New Zealand, 2-6 April, 2001.
- Cement, Concrete and Aggregates Australia. Chloride Resistance of Concrete. Research Report, June 2009, 37 p.
- Gowripalan, N., Sirivivatnanon, V. and Lim, C.C., ‘Chloride Diffusivity of Concrete Cracked in Flexure’, Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 725-730, May 2000.
- Khatri, R.P., Sirivivatnanon, V. and Yang, J.L., ‘Role of Permeability in Sulphate Attack’, Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 27, No. 8, pp. 1179-1189, 1997.
- Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia. Sulfate-resisting Concrete. Technical Note TN68, May 2011, 8 p.
- Standards Australia. Handbook 79 Alkali Aggregate Reaction – Guidelines on minimising the risk of damage to concrete structures in Australia. 2014.
- Sirivivatnanon, V. and Khatri, R.P., ‘Performance-based Covercrete Concept’, Proc 9th Int Durability of Building Materials and Components Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 2002.
- Sirivivatnanon, V. and Cao, H.T., "The need for and a method to control concrete cover", Proceedings of the Second International RILEM/CEB Symposium on Quality Control of Concrete Structures, Belgium, June 1991.
- Wang, X, Syme, M., Nguyen, M., and Stewart, M., ‘Analysis of Climate Change Impacts on the Deterioration Process of Concrete Infrastructure - Part 1: Mechanisms, Practices, Modelling and Simulation – A Review’, CSIRO, 2009. 75p.
- Stewart, M.G., Wang, X., and Nguyen, M.N., ‘Climate change impact and risks of concrete infrastructure deterioration’, Engineering Structures, 33 (2011) 1326-1337.
- Newman, J. and Choo, B.S., ‘Advanced Concrete Technology – Concrete Properties’, Elsevier 2003. ISBN: 978-0-7506-5103-5.
- CIRIA C766 Control of cracking caused by retrained deformation in concrete.