THE BEHAVIOUR OF RC BEAMS DAMAGED BY CORROSION OF REINFORCEMENT

The mechanical behaviour of RC beams damaged by corrosion of reinforcement is not only experimentally but also theoretically studied using an elasto-plastic finite element method. In the experiments, loading and bond tests are conducted for RC specimens damaged with an accelerated galvanostatic corrosion method. It is found that the reduction in stiffness and load carrying capacity occured in the damaged beams. Theoretical studies are made to investigate the cause of the action of these damaged beams. From those experimental and theoretical considerations, it could be indicated that the mechanical behaviour of damaged beams is affected by inadequate transmission of stresses between reinforcement and concrete, which results from internal stresses and growth of cracks due to the formation of corrosion products.