Mechanical performance of BStIV grade steel bars with regard to the long-term material degradation due to corrosion damage

The mechanical performance of BStIV grade reinforcing steel bars from four different manufacturers was experimentally investigated and evaluated by exploiting the performance indices concept. The experiments included tensile tests, carried out on uncorroded and pre-corroded steel specimens. To corrode the specimens, accelerated laboratory corrosion tests were involved. The later tests were made to assess the expected degradation of the materials mechanical performance with accumulating corrosion damage during the life of a reinforced structure. For the evaluation of the mechanical performance, index QD has been introduced. The index QD considers the combination of tensile strength and tensile ductility in a single quantity by accounting also for scatter in material’s mechanical properties. Index QD can be applied to assess the materials mechanical performance both in the undamaged and in the corroded conditions. In both cases, the materials were ranked based on the outcome of the evaluation of their mechanical performance. Subjective choice is needed in order to consider the effect of corrosion damage on the material’s mechanical performance.