Application of Fuzzy and Rough Sets to Environmental Zonation for Concrete Durability: A Case Study of Shaanxi Province, China

Daming Luo, Yan Wang, Shaohui Zhang and Ditao Niu
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Daming Luo: State Key Laboratory of Green Building in Western China, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Yan Wang: State Key Laboratory of Green Building in Western China, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Shaohui Zhang: School of Civil Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Ditao Niu: State Key Laboratory of Green Building in Western China, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: The durability of concrete structures is influenced by various factors, and the durability damage mechanism is different when the structure is in different environmental conditions. This will have implications for improving the durability of concrete structures and extending its service life if the special environmental condition is taken into account in the durability design. Aimed at the environmental zonation for concrete durability, this paper investigated the durability factors influencing concrete structures in Shaanxi Province, China, including atmospheric temperature, precipitation, corrosive gas, and acid rain. The variations of the above-mentioned factors were analyzed and the indexes of environmental zonation were proposed. According to the zoning principle, the weights of zoning indexes calculated using fuzzy rough sets were used to divide Shaanxi Province into three first-level zones, namely the Freeze-Thaw Cycle Zone, the Neutralization–Freeze-Thaw Interaction Zone, and the Neutralization Zone. These three zones were then subdivided into nine second-level zones. The main mechanism of concrete deterioration and the environmental characteristics of all zones were then analyzed. The method proposed in this paper puts forward clear zoning indexes and quantifies them, which can improve the quality and accuracy of the zoning results. Moreover, the research achievements are helpful for engineers to reduce the impact of the environment on structure and the maintenance cost during the structural service life to a certain extent.

Keywords: concrete structure; environmental zonation; concrete durability; fuzzy set; rough set (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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