Cyclic behavior of reinforced concrete beams with corroded longitudinal steel reinforcement

This research examined the seismic performance of reinforced concrete beams with corroded longitudinal steel reinforcement under seismic loading. Three locations of corrosion were examined: corrosion only in the bottom layer of longitudinal reinforcement, corrosion in both the top and bottom layers of longitudinal reinforcement, and corrosion in the transition region that covers plastic hinge and non-plastic hinge region of a beam. Cyclic test results showed that when the corroded reinforcement was subjected to tension, the beam flexural strength decreased significantly. The ultimate displacement was increased in the low to moderate corrosion levels and decreased significantly at high corrosion levels due to premature fracture of corroded reinforcement due to severe pitting corrosion. On the other hand, when the corroded reinforcement was subjected to compression, the beam flexural strength was not significantly affected. As the corrosion level increased, the ultimate displacement was first increased and then decreased.