Suggested Empirical Models for Corrosion-Induced Bond Degradation in Reinforced Concrete

Abstract

In this paper simple empirical models are suggested to evaluate the reduction in bond strength as a function of reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC). These models are proposed by considering a wide range of published experimental studies related to the bond strength degradation due to reinforcement corrosion. The models are then validated based on the referred experimental studies. It has been found that the proposed models provide estimates of the reduction in bond strength for corroded reinforcement that are in reasonably good agreement with the experimentally observed values. The predictions of the proposed models have also been found to be in line with those of other published data on empirical predictions. An attempt has also been made to evaluate the flexural strength of RC beams with corroded reinforcement failing in bond. It has been found that the analytical predictions for the flexural strength of corroded RC beams based on the suggested bond degradation models are in line with those of the experimentally observed and empirically predicted values of the referred experimental study. The present study concerning the progressive loss of bond strength due to reinforcement corrosion could be very useful for predicting the service life of structures serving in an aggressive environment.