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The paper is focused on the deterioration of industrial reinforced concrete chimneys caused by carbonation. It is considered that a chimney has to be repaired when more than 30% of its surface is affected by visible corrosion-induced cracks. An optimal maintenance strategy aims at the postponement of this state beyond the intended service life of the chimney with minimum maintenance costs.

The contribution is focused on reliability of balcony girders of a Czech national heritage monument. As preliminary reliability assessment suggests insufficient resistance, a series of nondestructive tests supplemented by a single tensile test are performed and evaluated by the statistical methods. Values of material properties, recommended in standards for historic materials, seem to be overly conservative and it is advised to specify properties of historic metallic materials by tests.

The contribution is focused on quantifying model uncertainty of crack width estimates for reinforced concrete beams. Predictions obtained by the model provided by the fib Model Code 2010 are compared with results of tests of beams having different longitudinal and shear reinforcement ratios and concrete cover. Trends of model uncertainty with basic variables are investigated.

Presently the new generation of Eurocodes is under development. It is expected that the basis of structural design given in current EN 1990 will be considerably revised including the format for load combinations in the Ultimate Limit States and new categorisation of consequence classes for construction works. It is expected that the partial factors for self-weight of structural members could be reduced and factors for variable loads more differentiated. Calibration of partial factors should be performed for actions and materials including also structural glass and FRP polymers.

The assessment of existing components of power producing facilities is based on probabilistic methods of the theory of reliability provided in Eurocodes and ISO standards. An example of quickclosing valves in a selected hydroelectric power plant indicates the assessment of reliability and the prediction of the remaining working life of a structural component for the considered model of corrosion.

The target reliability levels recommended in national and international documents vary within a broad range, while the reference to relevant costs and failure consequences is mentioned only very vaguely. In some documents the target reliability index is indicated for one or two reference periods (1 year, 50 years or life-time) without providing appropriate links to the design working life. This contribution attempts to clarify the relationship between the target reliability levels, costs of safety measures, failure consequences, reference periods and the design working life