High-Temperature Mechanical Properties of Artificially Simulated Corroded Q500MC Structural Steel

Abstract

Steel structures under fire often remain in corrosive environments for a long period of time. However, research on the high-temperature mechanical properties of corroded steels remains limited. In this study, an artificially simulated corrosion method is adopted to investigate the high-temperature mechanical properties of corroded Q500MC steel that usually used in bridge engineering in China. The effect of corrosion on the degradation of the high-temperature mechanical properties of steel is investigated by using steady tensile tests and numerical simulations. The results show that below 500°C, the fracture characteristics of steel containing artificial pits are affected by the minimum cross-sectional area. At 500°C, the corrosion rate increasingly influences the reduction of the high-temperature ultimate load of steel. Above 600°C, only the temperature determines the reduction degree of the ultimate load of corroded steel. Finally, the influence of the corrosion rate is greater than that of the minimum cross-sectional area proportion.