Tensile behavior of corroded reinforcing steel bars BSt 500s

The results of an experimental study for assessing the effects of the gradually accumulating corrosion damage due to laboratory salt spray corrosion on the mechanical behavior of reinforcing steel bars Class BSt 500s tempcore are presented. The experiments have shown that the corrosion exposure causes an appreciable mass loss which increases with increasing duration of exposure. This leads to a significant increase of the applied stress. In addition, a moderate reduction of the material’s tensile strength values and a significant reduction of the tensile ductility were observed. For laboratory salt spray exposure times, which are realistic for simulating natural corrosion, the tensile properties of the steel bars drop to values lying below the limits which are set in the standards presently in force for using steels in reinforced concrete members.