Corrosion effects on tension stiffening behavior of reinforced concrete

The investigation of corrosion effects on the tensile behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) members is very important in region prone to high corrosion conditions. In this article, an experimental study concerning corrosion effects on tensile behavior of RC members is presented. For this purpose, a comprehensive experimental program including 58 cylindrical reinforced concrete specimens under various levels of corrosion is conducted. Some of the specimens (44) are located in large tub containing water and salt (5% salt solution); an electrical supplier has been utilized for the accelerated corrosion program. Afterwards, the tensile behavior of the specimens was studied by means of the direct tension tests. For each specimen, the tension stiffening curve is plotted, and their behavior at various load levels is investigated. Average crack spacing, loss of cross-section area due to corrosion, the concrete contribution to the tensile response for different strain levels, and maximum bond stress developed at each corrosion level are studied, and their appropriate relationships are proposed. The main parameters considered in this investigation are: degree of corrosion ($C_w$), reinforcement diameter (d), reinforcement ratio (${\rho}$), clear concrete cover (c), ratio of clear concrete cover to rebar diameter (c/d), and ratio of rebar diameter to reinforcement percentage ($d/{\rho}$).