Crack propagation and flexural behaviour of RC beams under simultaneous sustained loading and steel corrosion

This paper investigated the cracking behaviour and flexural capacity of beams under simultaneous sustained loading and steel corrosion. Chloride ions were electro-migrated into the concrete beams, and then DC current, coupled with wetting and drying cycles, was applied to accelerate the steel corrosion. During the steel corrosion, the beams were subjected to sustained loading at different levels. The cracking maps were drawn and crack width was measured periodically. The flexural capacity and the steel corrosion degree were measured after seven wetting and drying cycles. The results show that simultaneous loading and corrosion lead to more severe and faster cracking damage on the beams and reduce the beams' ductilities. The corrosion of the tension reinforcement occurs more slowly than that of the stirrups, while the tension-reinforcement corrosion at the areas connecting with the stirrups is slighter than the corrosion at the other parts of the tension reinforcement.