Effects of Reinforcement Corrosion on the Mechanical Behavior of Reinforced Concrete

The purpose of this chapter is to present the effects of reinforcement corrosion on the mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete. The corrosion of reinforcements leads to a reduction in the resistant cross-section of the bars (which modifies the constitutive relation of steel in tension) and to a modification of the steel-concrete bond phenomenon owing to the de-confinement of the bars, linked to the creation of the corrosion cracks: these two phenomena alter the mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete in terms of both bearing capacity and deflections in service and deflections at failure.