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Reliability-based provisions for the design and evaluation of reinforced concrete members provided in the National building code of Canada and Canadian standard A23.3 are integrated with a corrosion deterioration model and a life-cycle cost analysis. The resulting model offers a simplified total expected cost design method that can be readily implemented by practicing engineers. The model is illustrated in the context of a 400 mm deep, 4.0 m long steel reinforced concrete cantilever slab that serves as a balcony adjacent to a party room of a condominium building. Nine design options for the slab were assessed. The near-surface chloride concentration and the oxygen concentration in the pore solution are the only two parameters that influence the selection of the balcony slab design. The design option with moderate concrete compressive strength and the largest clear cover considered was shown to be the most cost effective design regardless of the analysis method considered. Other model applications are also briefly presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by Canada's infrastructure crisis, the Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures (ISIS) Canada Research Network has developed and demonstrated the efficacy of innovative materials and monitoring technologies to support infrastructure design and renewal efforts. To quantify the potential benefits of these technologies across a diverse range of infrastructure applications, a rational, pragmatic and flexible method of life cycle costing (LCC) is needed. The purpose of this paper is to review and broadly classify LCC methods evident in pertinent literature. Through this process, a state-of-the-art LCC method is identified and described. Its noted strengths and limitations suggest promising avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]