Design approaches concerning SLS and ULS in corroded structural elements

In the paper few examples of real structures that were retrofitted even if they presented significant cracking and oxidation of reinforcement are presented. The main idea is to emphasize the distance between what is suggested in the updated design approaches and what has been regarded up to now as reasonable approach to the problem and which problems are commonly met by the designer to pass from the second to the first approach looking to real cases. The tests carried out on a residual dapped-end joint after the Annone collapse are used to discuss the limitations of the most updated approaches, while the retrofitting of a wide roofing of an industrial building that was subjected to a partial collapse and a long multi-span bridge, whose retrofitting design project was recently approved by Public Work Supervisor, are used to show the second approach. The distance between the two approaches is emphasized by the problems met with reference to an in-progress investigation on a wide statistic set of bridges carried out at Politecnico di Milano and the assessment of the bearing capacity of two existing bridges aimed at design, in case of need, the possible retrofitting solution to increase it.