Stochastic characteristics of reinforcement corrosion in concrete beams under sustained loads

Abstract

This paper deals with the characteristics of reinforcement corrosion in concrete beams under the influence of sustained loads. The evolution and distribution laws of the reinforcement corrosion were measured periodically over time. The results show that sustained load exhibits a pronounced exacerbating effect on the reinforcement corrosion, and enlarges the nonuniformity level of corrosion as the load level increases. Accompanied with the continuous formation of the rust, the corrosion rate was also observed to be highly nonlinear and time-dependent. Moreover, to visually and quantitatively analyze the distribution of reinforcement corrosion, the 3D scanning technology combined with the probability statistics analysis was adopted, and the observed nonuniformity can be well described by the Gumbel distribution. Finally, an approach based on the three-phase spherical model was proposed to estimate the reinforcement corrosion, taking account of the effects of sustained load on the changes of concrete porosity and oxygen diffusivity.