Influence of Service Cracking on Reinforcement Steel Corrosion

Abstract

The purpose of this publication is to determine the relationship between cracking in the loaded reinforced concrete and corrosion of embedded steel in a chloride environment. This paper deals with the synthesis carried out over a 12-year period on reinforced concrete elements kept in a loading state, in a confined salt fog. Test specimens were 3-m-long beams, which is a sufficient size to be representative of the actual operating conditions of reinforced concrete structures. The development of corrosion in concrete specimens was assessed by recording the development of secondary cracking. The interpretation of the results obtained on the different type of beams allowed one to conclude that the development of reinforcement corrosion is not influenced by the widths of cracks (for widths less than 0.5 mm) or by the crack itself. The results appear to indicate that the load applied to a reinforced concrete beam plays an important role in the penetration of aggressive agents and then in the corrosion of the reinforcement.