Effect of corrosion on the bond between steel and concrete: an overview

Abstract

The volume increase that takes place when reinforcement in concrete corrodes causes splitting stresses in the concrete. Thereby, the bond between the reinforcement and the concrete is influenced. This effect has been studied both experimentally and theoretically by many researchers. In the current paper, the effect of corrosion on the bond between reinforcement and concrete is investigated and described in a systematic way. Literature studies of experimental work are combined with finite element analyses of different cases. In this way, modelling is used as a tool to give the basic understanding, and the results are compared with experiments. An overview of the effect depending on the reinforcement type, existence of transverse reinforcement and confinement owing to concrete and boundaries is given. This overview is intended to be of help in understanding the phenomena as well as in assessment of existing structures.