Chloride transport behavior in bending-shear section of reinforced concrete beam under combined effect of load and environment

Abstract

This paper investigated the combined effects of different sustained loads and environmental conditions on chloride transport behavior in bending-shear section of reinforced concrete beam. It also compared the chloride transport pattern between bending-shear section and pure bending section based on published literatures. In this study, the tested reinforced concrete beams were subjected to 10%, 16%, 22% and 28% of ultimate bending load using spring-loaded system. For each load, the chloride content was measured on different depths of two specimens under chloride immersion and drying-wetting cycle conditions for 60 days, respectively. The results show that for the given depth and load, the specimens under drying-wetting condition had higher chloride content than those under immersion. The drying-wetting condition facilitated the chloride transport in concrete. The restrictive effect of depth on chloride transport in tension zone was larger than in compression zone. Experimental condition is the most effective factor on chloride transport in compression zone, comparing with depth and load. The corrosion of chloride was mainly on bending-shear section when the load is within 10–16% of the ultimate flexural capacity, while it was on pure bending section when the load is from 22 to 28% of the ultimate flexural capacity.