Durability performance of a high‐performance fiber‐reinforced concrete for bridge applications

Abstract This paper investigates the durability performance of a coarse‐aggregate high‐performance fiber‐reinforced concrete (HPFRC) developed as a cost‐efficient material solution for precast bridge applications. A comprehensive experimental program was conducted to assess the resistance of the material to the principal deterioration mechanisms governing the service life of concrete structures, namely chloride ingress, carbonation, and steel fiber corrosion. The experimental campaign comprised non‐steady‐state chloride migration tests, surface electrical resistivity and water absorption measurements, long‐term natural carbonation exposure, and electrochemical corrosion monitoring by linear polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results demonstrate an outstanding durability performance of the developed HPFRC, with very low chloride migration coefficients, no detectable carbonation front after 40 months of natural exposure, and fiber corrosion confined to a thin superficial sacrificial layer without inducing cracking or spalling of the surrounding matrix. The incorporation of fibers was shown not to adversely affect the intrinsic impermeability of the cementitious matrix. The experimentally derived durability parameters were subsequently implemented in probabilistic service‐life prediction models in accordance with fib Model Code 2020 provisions for chloride‐ and carbonation‐induced corrosion. A Monte Carlo reliability analysis was performed adopting a 7% probability of failure as the service‐life limit state. The results indicate that the predicted service life of HPFRC largely exceeds that of conventional and slag‐based concretes under comparable exposure conditions and remains well beyond standard design requirements, supporting its applicability in durable and low‐maintenance bridge structures.