Corrosion Effect on Bond Loss between Steel and Concrete

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to the effects of steel corrosion on bond relationship between steel and concrete. One of the basic assumptions in design of reinforced concrete members is the perfect steel - concrete bond mechanism, so that strain of reinforcing bar is the same as that of the surrounding concrete and these two different materials act as one. However, corrosion of steel reinforcement consists one of the main durability problems in reinforced concrete members, downgrade the bond behavior and therefore their structural integrity. Corrosion degrades the reinforcement itself, reducing the initial cross-section of the steel bar and its mechanical properties. Furthermore, tensile stresses in surrounding concrete caused due to oxides on the corroded reinforcement, lead to the gradual development of tensile field to the surrounding concrete, with spalling of the cover concrete and loss of bond mechanism as a consequence. In this chapter, an overview of damage of reinforced concrete due to steel corrosion is given, focused on the bond mechanism; factors that play key role in the degree of bonding and, also, proposed models of bond strength loss in correlation with the surface concrete cracking due to corrosion are indicated. To conclude, the ongoing research in this area of interest is presented, based on recent scientific studies.