Effect of Corrosion in the Transverse Reinforcements in Concrete Beams: Sustainable Method to Generate and Measure Deterioration

A consistent method to generate and measure deterioration by corrosion in transverse reinforcements for concrete beams is presented and discussed in this work. This approach could be applied in other circumstances, such as bending, compression or combinations of stresses, with comparable results and therefore can be used to ensure sustainability. In marine environments, macro-cells are produced primarily from a transverse reinforcement, which works as an anode and therefore becomes a critical part of the structural analysis. To evaluate the adaptation efficiency of our proposed method, the corrosion potential, mass losses and cross-section reductions of the steel were measured. The shear stress behavior of the beams was investigated, including beam responses to load deformations, failure modes and cracking. The method ensured that all the beams exhibited a shear failure from diagonal stress with almost 50% less deflection when mechanically tested. The critical cross-sectional area, calculated according to the experimental diameter with the greatest cross-sectional loss due to the corrosion of the deteriorated stirrup, proved to be a reliable value for predicting the ultimate shear strength of concrete beams deteriorated by severe corrosion. A reduction of up to 30% in the shear strength of deteriorated versus non-deteriorated beams was found. Additional results showed that there is a correlation between the experimental and theoretical results and that the method is reproducible.