Corrosion-induced cover spalling and anchorage capacity

The aim of this study is to enhance our understanding of anchorage capacity in reinforced concrete structures with corrosion-induced cover spalling. Our objectives were to study the influence of corrosion-induced cover spalling on bond strength, and to validate an existing one-dimensional (1D) analysis for anchorage capacity in such cases. Thus, earlier developed bond and corrosion models suited for detailed three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis were first combined with a new computation scheme to simulate corrosion-induced cover spalling. The 1D and 3D FE analyses were validated through two types of experiments, i.e. eccentric pull-out tests and beam tests, as well as a comparison with an existing empirical model. The application of 3D FE analysis showed that the corrosion of stirrups advances the emergence of cracking and spalling, while bond strength is only slightly influenced by the corrosion of stirrups after cover spalling if yielding of stirrups has not taken place. Moreover, it was shown that stresses in the stirrups due to corrosion in adjacent bars rapidly diminished within a short distance from the main bar, and that the corrosion of stirrups influenced the shear capacity more prominently than the induced stresses in stirrups due to the corrosion of main bars.