Investigation on the effect of corrosion on testing data of reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

In light of circular construction, there is a rising need for effective methods to assess the remaining structural capacity of reinforced concrete structures, accounting for degradation mechanisms such as corrosion. Different studies, mostly based on simulations, have illustrated how data from static and dynamic tests can be used to estimate the corrosion level of existing reinforced concrete structures. To get a better insight in the effect of corrosion on real-case data, an experimental campaign has been performed at the Magnel-Vandepitte Laboratory of Ghent University. Different real-size reinforced concrete beams have been subjected to accelerated corrosion, 4-point bending tests and vibration tests. After loading the beams to failure, the actual corrosion degree was determined and the influence of the corrosion degree on the measurement data has been investigated.