Cracking of Cover-concrete by Rebar Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete

Fractures in cover-concrete on reinforced concrete (RC) viaducts is caused by the expansion of reinforced-bar due to corrosion. In order to understand the mechanisms behind these fractures cross-sections of a corroded rebar were evaluated using the equipment proposed in this paper. There will be the shrinkage and the creep of concrete, and it will affect the cracking of cover-concrete. In this paper, a series of experiments and non-linear finite element analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of rebar spacing, cover-concrete thickness, the shrinkage and the creep of concrete on the shape of cover-concrete fractures and extent of corrosion.