Experimental study on mechanical properties of corroded steel fibers under static and dynamic loading

The influences of corrosion and the strain rate on the mechanical performance of corroded steel fibers were assessed in this paper. The steel fibers were corroded to different corrosion degrees by drying-wetting cycling in a 5% sodium chloride solution and a 50 degrees centigrade oven. The static and dynamic tensile tests of corroded steel fibers were investigated by using a static and dynamic test system. The results showed that the mechanical properties of the corroded steel fibers were strain-rate dependent. With an increase in strain rate, the ultimate load increased, whereas, the strain-rate effect decreased with an increase in the corrosion degree. However, variations in Young's modulus with strain rate and corrosion degree were not obvious. With an increase in the corrosion degree, both the nominal tensile strength and elongation of the corroded steel fibers decreased. However, the ultimate strength based on the minimum cross-sectional area did not decrease. The strength could be attributed to the uneven distribution of the cross-sectional area along the bar. Based on the experimental results, a time-dependent assessment method for the mechanical behavior of corroded steel fibers under the static and dynamic loading conditions was proposed.