The Corrosion Effects on the Structural Integrity of Reinforcing Steel

An experimental study conducted on 12 mm diameter, artificially corroded BSt500 s steel rebars, showed that the mass loss, the fatigue limit, and the life expectancy were reduced according to the level of corrosion. Rebar corrosion has a great impact on the mass loss, mechanical properties, low cycl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials engineering and performance 2008-08, Vol.17 (4), p.506-516
Main Authors: Apostolopoulos, Ch. Alk, Michalopoulos, D., Koutsoukos, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Corrosion
Corrosion and Coatings
Corrosion fatigue
Damage
Engineering Design
Fatigue limit
Materials Science
Quality Control
Reduction
Reinforcing steels
Reliability
Safety and Risk
Strain
Structural steels
Tribology
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Summary:An experimental study conducted on 12 mm diameter, artificially corroded BSt500 s steel rebars, showed that the mass loss, the fatigue limit, and the life expectancy were reduced according to the level of corrosion. Rebar corrosion has a great impact on the mass loss, mechanical properties, low cycle fatigue (LCF) and there is strong indication that embrittlement takes place. The extended salt-spray exposure enhanced the damage and promoted extended creation of pits and perforations suggesting progressive embrittlement and reduction of the available energy, justified by the SEM micrograph results. The low cycle strain-controlled fatigue testing under ±1, ±2.5, and ±4% constant amplitude strain indicated that the corroded steel bars exhibit gradual reduction in available energy, number of cycles to failure, and load bearing ability. For the ±1% strain level the fatigue limit was reduced considerably as the level of corrosion increased due to mass loss and reduction of the exterior martensitic layer. In addition, a drastic drop in the energy density of the specimens was observed with creation of stress concentration points. At ±2.5% and ±4% strain levels, the fatigue limit was reduced dramatically mainly due to accumulated damage from plastic deformation and minimally due to corrosion. Anti-seismic design that ignores the influence of corrosion and cumulative damage due to plastic deformation, and the mechanical behavior of reinforcing steel during severe ground motion, could lead to unpredictable performance.
ISSN:1059-9495
1544-1024
DOI:10.1007/s11665-007-9183-3