A Wasserstein distance-based analogous method to predict distribution of non-uniform corrosion on reinforcements in concrete

Abstract

This paper presents an analogous method to predict the distribution of non-uniform corrosion on reinforcements in concrete by minimizing the Wasserstein distance. A comparison between the predicted and experimental results shows that the proposed method is capable of predicting distributions of non-uniform corrosion modeled by Gaussian functions. The non-uniformity and the total area of the rust layer are selected as the key parameters to determine the distribution of non-uniform corrosion on reinforcements. Empirical equations of the non-uniformity and the total area of the rust layer versus degree of corrosion are proposed to validate the application of the method for practical projects. The method presented in this study fills a research gap in quantifying the distribution of non-uniform corrosion on reinforcements by realistically simulating crack propagation in concrete.