Influences of location of reinforcement corrosion on seismic performance of corroded reinforced concrete beams

The seismic performance of corroded reinforced concrete beams was investigated experimentally in this research. Corrosion was induced by the electrochemical accelerated corrosion method to reinforcement at various locations in the beams. After accelerated corrosion, the beams were tested under cyclic loading to investigate their seismic performance. Test results showed that as the corrosion level in tension reinforcement increased, the failure mode of the beam changed from flexural shear due to crushing of core concrete to flexural tension due to fracture of tension reinforcement. Corrosion of longitudinal tension reinforcement had a significant negative effect on the yield drift, yield load, and peak load, and on the ultimate drift when the failure was due to fracture of tension reinforcement. It had no or some degree of positive effect on the ultimate drift when the failure mode was flexural shear. Corrosion in compression reinforcement adversely affected the yield drift and had a minor negative effect on the ultimate drift when the failure mode is flexural shear. It had little effect on the yield load and peak load, and on the ultimate drift when the failure was due to fracture of tension reinforcement. Corrosion in transverse reinforcement had a negative impact on the yield drift and ultimate drift when the failure mode was flexural shear. It had insignificant effect on the yield load and peak load, and on the ultimate drift when the failure mode was caused by fracture of tension reinforcement.