Enhancement in Chloride Diffusivity due to Flexural Damage in Reinforced Concrete Beams

Abstract

A multiphysics formulation for chloride diffusion in an RC beam with stress-induced damage quantifying the enhancement in chloride diffusivity due to damage is presented. An experimental investigation involving measurement of chloride profile was conducted on RC beams damaged under applied flexural stress. Numerical simulation of the RC beam is carried out using a two-dimensional finite-element approach incorporating the damage due to the applied stress, chloride binding, and the chloride diffusion in the model. Concrete is assumed to be a perfectly elastoplastic (Drucker-Prager) material and the steel as an elastoplastic (von Mises) material with hardening. Drucker-Prager parameters, cohesion