Long-term performance of corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete beams

This paper presents the results of an experimental study designed to investigate the combined effect of corrosion and sustained loads on the structural performance of reinforced concrete beams. A total of nine beams, each measuring 152 × 254 × 3200 mm, were tested. One beam was tested as a virgin while eight beams were exposed to accelerated corrosion for up to 310 days using an impressed current technique. Four beams were corroded under a sustained load that corresponded to approximately 60% of the yield load of the virgin beam. The four remaining beams were kept unloaded during the corrosion exposure. Test results showed that the presence of a sustained load and associated flexural cracks during corrosion exposure significantly reduced the time to corrosion cracking and slightly increased the corrosion crack width. The presence of flexural cracks during corrosion exposure initially increased the steel mass loss rate and, consequently, the reduction in the beam strength. As time progressed, no correlation between the reduction in the beam strength and the presence of flexural cracks was observed.