Early reinforced concrete structures, a methodological approach from materials and details to structural assessments

Early Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures were built in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century and are nowadays considered part of our heritage, for their peculiar typological and structural features. After more than one century from their construction, they show a widespread decay often connected to a diffuse state of abandon. Static and seismic assessments required by current building codes are a crucial issue in their reuse. In this assessment procedure, the evaluation of material properties and details is a fundamental step. A series of destructive and non-destructive tests were carried out on 13 historic RC buildings mainly located in the Veneto region and built in the period 1900-1960. The paper outlines typical structural details (type, layout and diameters of reinforcement bars, concrete cover thickness) and properties of materials (concrete compressive strength, steel tensile strength) gathered through extensive on site investigation campaigns and laboratory tests on materials. Specific elements of vulnerability were identified analysing results from static and seismic assessment of these constructions.