Corrosion Resistance of Construction Steel in Conditions of Simultaneous Dynamic Loading and Chloride-Containing Corrosive Environment

Abstract

Corrosion of steel reinforcement is the main focus of many studies on condition assessment of road infrastructure. The major uncertainty involves the behavior of steel rebar during dynamic loading imposed by traffic. Especially in countries that use deicing salts during winter, a combined loading situation emerges in which stress, frequency, and chlorides are present at the same time. Laboratory tests are conducted to evaluate the performance of single steel rebars simultaneously exposed to different model media (alkaline and chloride-containing solutions), different frequencies, and different initial stress levels. These so-called chloride-exposed fatigue tests show the impact of chloride-induced corrosion on the performance of dynamically loaded rebar. Despite the well-known low susceptibility of construction steel to enhanced stress-induced damage in a corrosive medium, the recorded behavior indicates altered electrochemical performance under dynamic load. The results allow for an alternative view of the assessment of service-life design of infrastructure.