June 2009

technical data

Codes and Standards

the need for change
Updates to industry standards are common, and the past couple of years have seen an influx of new codes and standards. But to engage them, we must first understand their impact...

This factsheet is based on an original item by Paul Knight, Technical Manager at Tarmac Precast Ltd, and adapted for the Box Culvert Association by Tony Elliott, Consultant to Milton Precast and BoxCA Chairman

Progression in any industry is the key to improving product, its process and its quality. Although updates to industry standards are common, the past couple of years have seen a huge influx of new codes and standards. These are designed to make the construction industry safer and more dynamic and we need to engage and endorse them. But first we must understand their impact.

BS EN 1992 Eurocode 2 Design of Concrete Structures (EC2) will affect all concrete design once the current British Standard BS8110 for Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures and BS5400 Steel and Concrete Bridge Design have been withdrawn. The British Standards Institute (BSI) has already declared BS 8110 as obsolescent. According to BSI, a declaration of obsolescence indicates that the standard is not recommended for use in new equipment but needs to be retained for the servicing of existing equipment that is expected to have a long working life. For equipment read structures. BSI plan to withdraw BS8110 and other structural concrete design codes on or about the 31st March 2010. Withdrawn indicates that a standard is no longer current and has been superseded by another standard or is no longer relevant to industry. It is also no longer supported by a committee, meaning that it will not undergo a five year review. The standard is not necessarily unsafe but will increasingly become outdated and therefore not current best practice. Developed over the past 30 years, EC2 will become the one design code for all concrete structures in Europe and arguably one of the most advanced structural codes in the world. BS EN 13369 Common Rules for Precast Concrete Products is complementary to EC2

New Eurocode

and forms the basis for BS EN 14844 Precast concrete products box culverts. The current edition of BS5400 Steel, Concrete and Composite Bridges Part 4 has not been revised to reference BS8500 but the Department for Transport has implemented the use of BS8500 with the release of guidance note IAN 95/07. Exposure is no longer based on relative severity. The terms mild, moderate, severe and very severe are no longer valid, except in relation to design crack width.

of environmental actions including those associated with brownfield sites. SD1 also recognises the enhanced chemical resistance of precast products. Designing in accordance with BS8500 and SD1 has resulted in many changes particularly when 100+ years design life is required in an aggressive environment.

BS8500 and BRE Special Digest 1 (SD1)

BS8500 works in harmony with EC2, classifying exposure condition with regard to deterioration processes including carbonation (XC), chloride ingress (XD, XS), chemical attack from aggressive ground (XA) and freeze/thaw (XF). The standard provides guidance on the concrete quality classes, intended working life and cover to reinforcement for selected exposure conditions. BS8500 incorporates some but not all of the information from SD1. The designer should refer to SD1 for information on a wider range

The design chemical class (DC) was introduced to define concrete qualities to resist chemical attack, mainly conventional and thaumasite sulphate, carbon dioxide and acid attacks. The DC depends largely on w/c ratio and cement type. Lower w/c ratios and specific cement types reduce concrete permeability and hence the rate of ingress of aggressive substances, such as sulphates, into the concrete. Carbonation rate may also be reduced. As well as being destructive by neutralising the alkalinity of the cement, carbonation can help reduce the permeability of the surface layer. SD1 recognises that storing precast concrete products in air longer than 10 days in order for carbonation to occur is beneficial and sometimes equivalent to applying protective measures. For conventional sulphate attack to occur, both tricalcium alluminate (C3A) and calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 are required. Sulphate-resisting cement has a low C3A, reducing the possibility of this reaction, but lower C3A makes the embedded metal more susceptible to chloride attack. Using other types of cements such as those containing pfa or slag will reduce the C3A content and/or consume Ca(OH)2, increasing resistance to conventional sulphate attack. Such cements also significantly reduce chloride penetration.

Designing concrete: Design Chemical Class [refer Table D2 and D3 (SD1)]

Reinforcement cover [refer Table A5 (BS8500-1)]

Reinforcement corrosion depends on the quality and depth of cover. Protection is achieved by adequate concrete cover, reducing the w/c ratio, increasing the cement content or selecting a different cement type: all these reduce permeability and increase the quality of the cover zone. A lower w/c ratio typically increases concrete strength. Although this is an advantage, the relative workability of the concrete should be considered to suit manufacturing methods. In aggressive environments, reinforcement cover can be higher than required by previous codes and may result in thicker sections. This increased cover is vulnerable to damage and spalling. While the effect will be small for larger elements, the changes can be considerable when designing slender sections, which are often required when it is preferable not to attract load by increasing section stiffness. It may not always be possible to increase the cover and the reinforcement will fall outside the zone that requires reinforcing, as

How we design

with transverse tensile stresses resulting from loading a partial area. Consequently, alternatives to increasing concrete cover are required: using stainless steel or non-metallic reinforcement is acceptable but increases costs. Steel or synthetic fibres and or corrosion inhibitors may provide a cost-effective solution. An efficient design, taking exposure and cover into account, is particularly suited to precast concrete. A quality-assured process allows tighter control of manufacture, lowering fixing tolerances and giving greater control of concrete properties. Low w/c ratios are typical for such construction, as they are required to allow early remoulding and hence a more economical product.

Example of impact of code

BS8500 and EC2 recognise that various exposure conditions may affect a single element of a structure. Engineers must therefore be able to identify the relevant exposure classes for each element before undertaking a design; they will also need to consider measures to protect the concrete element. Table A.1 of BS8500-1

gives examples of exposure classes. The Highways Agency specifies exposure class XD2 for structures buried below 1m and XD3 for shallower structures. The engineer can specify the necessary cover using Table A.5 of BS8500-1, depending on concrete properties. Table A.5 gives durability requirements for an intended working life of 100 years. The Highways Agency deems that these durability values provide the required resistance for a working life of 120 years. Considering a precast concrete box culvert with a typical concrete C40/50 mix with a water/cement (w/c) ratio of 0.35 max, minimum cement content 380kg/m3, and cement type IIB - V + SR, a concrete cover of 45 + c will result for exposure class XD3 and 40 + c for exposure class XD2, where c = 5mm for controlled precast concrete manufacture. This produces a much more economical solution to an equivalent insitu concrete structure which requires a c of 15mm with subsequent increase in section thickness, also site casting conditions likely to make it most difficult to restrict the w/c ratio below 0.35.

A product Group of British Precast Box Culvert Association 60 Charles Street Leicester LE1 1FB T 0116 253 6161 F 0116 251 4568 E boxca@britishprecast.org W www.boxca@britishprecast.org Members of the Box Culvert Association Hanson Products - Floors and Precast www.hansonfloorsandprecast.com Milton Precast www.miltonprecast.com Tarmac Precast Concrete www.tarmacprecast.co.uk

References 1. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION Concrete, Complementary British Standard to BS EN 2061: 2000, Method of specifying and guidance for the specifier, BS8500-1:2006 and Specification for constituent materials and concrete, BS8500-2: 2006. 2. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures, General rules and rules for buildings, BS EN 199211: 2004. 3. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION The structural use of concrete Part 1: Code of practice for design and construction, BS81101: 1997. 4. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION Steel, concrete and composite bridges Part 4: Code of practice for design of concrete bridges, BS54004: 1990. 5. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION Common rules for precast concrete products- BS EN 13369; 2004. 6. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION Precast concrete products - Box culverts - BS EN 14844: 2006. 7. THE CONCRETE CENTRE General information and guidelines. 8. BUILDING RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT (BRE) SPECIAL DIGEST 1 (SD1)
Although the Box Culvert Association makes every endeavour to ensure that any advice, recommendation or information it may give is accurate, no liability of any kind (including liability for negligence) is accepted in this respect by the association, its servants or agents.