Chloride Penetration in Reinforced Concrete Beams under Combined Sustained Loading and Drying–Wetting Cycles
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 4
Abstract
In this paper, the spatial and time-variant chloride distribution in RC beams subjected to combined sustained flexural loads and cyclic drying–wetting action is studied. By means of the digital image correlation (DIC) technique, the distribution and evolution of load-induced damage and cracks in beam specimens during four-point bending are mapped and quantified using a damage factor. The influence of damage and cracks on the chloride resistance of beams is elucidated and a numerical model to reproduce the chloride penetration in precracked beams is proposed. The results show that the concrete in the pure bending zone of the beam has the highest rates of chloride ingress and reinforcement corrosion activity, followed by those in the support zone and combined shear-flexure zone. The regression analysis suggests that the apparent chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete increases exponentially, while the corrosion current density increases linearly, with the increasing magnitude of loads applied on the beams. The proposed model can reasonably predict the chloride profiles across the entire RC beams.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Projects 51678529, 51578497, and 51808475) and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (Project 27204818). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 4 • April 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 26, 2019
Accepted: Aug 12, 2019
Published online: Jan 20, 2020
Published in print: Apr 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jun 20, 2020
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