Response of reinforced concrete structures to macrocell corrosion of reinforcements. Part I: Before propagation of microcracks via an analytical approach

Assessment of the macrocell corrosion which deteriorates reinforced concrete (RC) structures have attracted the attention of many researchers during recent years. In this type of rebar corrosion, the reduction in cross-section of the rebar is significantly accelerated due to the large ratio of the cathode's area to the anode's area. In order to examine the problem, an analytical solution is proposed for prediction of the response of the RC structure from the time of steel depassivation to the stage just prior to the onset of microcrack propagation. To this end, a circular cylindrical RC member under axisymmetric macrocell corrosion of the reinforcement is considered. Both cases of the symmetric and asymmetric rebar corrosion along the length of the anode zone are studied. According to the experimentally observed data, corrosion products are modeled as a thin layer with a nonlinear stress–strain relation. The exact expressions of the elastic fields associated with the steel, and concrete media are obtained using Love's potential function. By imposing the boundary conditions, the resulting set of nonlinear equations are solved in each time step by Newton's method. The effects of the key parameters which have dominating role in the time of the onset of concrete cracking and maximum radial stress field of the concrete have been examined.

► Response of RC structures to macrocell corrosion of a rebar is studied analytically.
► The problem is solved prior to the onset of microcrack propagation.
► Suitable Love's potential functions are used to study the steel-rust-concrete media.
► The role of crucial factors on the time of onset of concrete cracking is examined.
► The effect of vital factors on the maximum radial stress of concrete is explored.