Tensile Characteristics Evaluation of Corroded Reinforcing Bars Extracted from Actual Structures

The analysis used simple finite elements is performed to simulate the tensile behavior of corroded reinforcing bars extracted from three actual concrete structures. The cross-sectional area of the elements is set to have the actual distribution measured by 3D laser scanner system. The variable factor in the analysis is the length of the elements. The analysis results show that the length of the elements has a major influence on the deformation capacity after yielding. The calculated stress-strain curves, obtained using the elements with a length that is 2 times the bar diameter, are in good agreement with the tensile test results. The calculated stress-strain curves are modeled using a bi-linear model to facilitate the FEA (finite element analysis) of an overall concrete structure. From the analysis results, both the tensile and yield strengths decrease in proportion to the reduction of the minimum cross-sectional area of corroded bars. The ultimate strain has a remarkable decrement as the reduction of the minimum cross-sectional area. Formulas for determining these values are proposed as a function of the decrement ratio of the minimum cross-sectional area of a corroded bar.