Stress-Strain Response of Corroded Reinforcing Bars under Monotonic and Cyclic Loading

Corrosion of embedded reinforcement is the most common cause of deterioration of reinforced concrete (RC) structures and a major economic cost for maintenance of national infrastructures. This will affect the residual capacity of the RC structures and therefore is of concern to those who are in charge with ensuring safe operation of concrete structures. In addition, if the structure is located in an earthquake prone region, in the seismic assessment and evaluation of the structure consideration needs to be given to ductility of reinforcement in tension, and it’s buckling response in compression. This paper reports results from experimental investigations on the behaviour of corroded reinforcing bars in tension, compression and under cyclic loading (including buckling). The test results show that corrosion affects the response of reinforcing steel in tension. Pitting corrosion also affects the buckling load of reinforcing bars under monotonic compression loading and changes the behaviour of corroded bars under cyclic loading.