Effects of stirrup corrosion on shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams

Corrosion of stirrups is always more severe than longitudinal steel bars, leading to possible shear failure instead of bending failure. This paper covers the authors' investigation on the effects of stirrup corrosion on shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams. Based on modified compression field theory, a method of the whole process analysis was developed showing shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams with corroded stirrups. Of particular interest was the cracking damage of concrete cross sections, the loss of cross-sectional area and deterioration of mechanical properties of corroded stirrups. After comparing analytical results with available shear test results, further analysis was carried out to investigate the deterioration of shear behaviour and the effects of corrosion degree, concrete strength, stirrup ratio and shear-span ratio. Stirrup corrosion was found to have little impact on cracking load, but shear strength and ductility decreased with the increase in corrosion degree, and shear failure was determined possible for beams originally designed for bending failure. With the decrease of concrete strength or the increase of stirrup ratio and shear-span ratio, the contribution of corroded stirrups to the shear strength of beams increased, and the shear strength and ductility caused by stirrup corrosion decreased as expected.