Structural behaviour of beams under simultaneous load and steel corrosion

This paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted to characterize the structural behaviour of beams corroded whilst subjected to a constant sustained load. Corrosion on tensile steel bars was induced by an accelerated corrosion process using a 5% solution of NaCl and a constant impressed current. Four RC beams were tested, each with a width of 153 mm, a depth of 254 mm and a length of 3000 mm. Beams were tested whilst under self-weight, under 10% of the ultimate load and under 33% of the ultimate load. Longitudinal tensile strains and longitudinal compressive strains were monitored during the corrosion process. Measured strains were used to determine the depth of the neutral axis, the curvature and the moment of inertia of beams. The results indicate that the longitudinal strains, depth of the neutral axis and curvature depend on both the level of corrosion and the applied load whilst the moment of inertia only depends on the level of corrosion.