Numerical assessment of the structural behavior of prestressed concrete beams damaged by corrosion

ABSTRACT The tension and flexural behaviors of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures are seriously affected by the corrosion of reinforcing bars. In this paper, a numerical approach of the global behavior of the structure, particularly the load-deflection curve taking into account the deterioration of corrosion action is presented. It is formulated for the analysis of members subjected to monotonic bending or axial loads. The beam is modeled as a succession of portions or blocks delimited by two consecutive flexural or tensile cracks. The corrosion affects both the local bond stress-slip relationship and steel reinforcement. The results of the simulations are compared with test data from a French experimental research program (Benchmark des poutres de la Rance). The model is applied to ten reinforced or prestressed forty year old concrete.