Modeling the flexural behavior of corroded reinforced concrete beams with considering stirrups corrosion

Abstract

The reinforcement corrosion is one of the most dominant deterioration mechanisms of existing reinforced concrete structures. In this paper, the effects of the stirrup corrosion on the structural performance of five corroded beams have been simulated using the finite element model with DIANA software. These tested beams are divided into two groups for considering different inputs: (i) without corroded stirrups in flexural span, (ii) with locally corroded stirrups at different locations (e.g. full span, shear span, middle span). FE model has been calibrated with experimental results that were obtained from the four-point bending test carried out on the tested beams. This study shows that the stirrups corrosion should be received more attention in the serviceability limit state since its considerable effect on flexural behavior. Based on a parametric study, it shows that the effect of the cross-section loss of tension reinforcements on the load-carrying capacity of the corroded beam is more significant than the bond strength reduction. Keywords: reinforced concrete; beam; stirrup corrosion; finite element model; flexural nonlinear behavior.