Structural performance of RC beams in relation with the corroded period in chloride environment

Abstract

This paper presents experimental work to investigate the influence of chloride corrosion of the reinforcing bars on the residual structural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. A mechanical experiment was conducted with a three-point loading system on four corroded beams that had been exposed to a chloride environment for 14, 23, 26 and 28 years. The load and deflection at the mid-span were recorded to study the residual mechanical behaviour of the beams. The corroded tensile bars were extracted from the beams to check the cross-sectional loss of the reinforcements. Non-corroded beams, which were cast at the same time and had the same composition, were also tested to highlight the effect of corrosion on the mechanical behaviour of the beams. The results show that the corrosion of reinforcement modify the behavior of corroded element but that according to the definition of the end of service life, cracks width >1 mm, concrete spalling or residual capacity reaching the initial design load; the propagation period appears significantly longer than the initiation period. As a result, owners would be interested to include the propagation period in service life design of RC structures.