Deterioration of concrete structures in aggressive marine environments requires hundreds of millions of dollars in repair every year. To solve this problem, durability-based design methods must be created to find the most economical solution that provides the desired service life of the structure. A key step in these design methods is the accurate estimation of chloride diffusion into concrete. The DuraPGulf computer program described in this article employs field data in a semi-empirical durability design model to provide realistic predictions of corrosion initiation.

Deterioration of concrete structures in aggressive marine environments requires hundreds of millions of dollars in repair every year. To solve this problem, durability-based design methods must be created to find the most economical solution that provides the desired service life of the structure. A key step in these design methods is the accurate estimation of chloride diffusion into concrete. The DuraPGulf computer program described in this article employs field data in a semi-empirical durability design model to provide realistic predictions of corrosion initiation.