Seismic Performance of the Corroded Reinforced Recycled Aggregate Concrete Columns

In order to investigate the impacts of corrosion damage on the seismic performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) columns, the hysteretic behavior of the corroded RAC columns was studied through quasistatic tests and numerical analyses. The main parameters included different corrosion ratios, axial load ratios (ALR), and stirrup ratios. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in the carrying and deformation capacities of the corroded RAC column compared with the corroded NAC column. Under electrochemical chloride erosion conditions, the corrosion ratios of stirrups were on average 44.6% higher than those of longitudinal bars, and the crack widths of columns with different corrosion ratios varied little, ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mm. Under a relatively low corrosion ratio (within 10%), the corrosion had a minor impact on the horizontal carrying capacity, but the deformation capacity of the corroded columns decreased with increasing corrosion ratio and ALR. The coupling effect of a high ALR and a high corrosion ratio could exacerbate the detrimental impact of corrosion, and special attention should be given to columns with an ALR exceeding 0.3 and a corrosion ratio exceeding 10%. In addition, the seismic performance of the corroded structure could be effectively simulated through the finite element model based on the modified corrosion model of the materials.