Effect of Corrosion on Flexural Strength of Reinforced Concrete Beam: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Abstract

The main aim of this experimental study is to investigate the effect of corrosion on reinforced concrete beams, particularly on load deflection behavior, load carrying capacity and crack width by using with or without epoxy coating on the steel surface. Accelerated corrosion technique was adopted to corrode the beam experimentally. The corrosion was measured using the Open Circuit Potential (OCP) measurement instrument. A total of 14 simply supported beam specimens with cross section 150 mm×300 mm and 1000 mm length are prepared using M25 grade concrete with a clear cover of 25 mm. All specimens casted are tested in specially prepared loading setup and the load deflection behavior is studied. The load carrying capacity of the beam is more for control beams, but the deflection is less for control beams with respect to other corroded beams (i.e., 2.5 to 7.5% corrosion level with every increment of 2.5%) with or without epoxy coating. Overall, use of epoxy coated specimen shows approximately 35% for higher degree of corrosion (7.5%) for coated specimen when compared to non-coated specimens. Also, epoxy coated specimens behave more ductile than non-coated specimens. Crack width is less at the lower level of corrosion (0 to 5%) after that it increases rapidly (i.e., at 7.5%), but in controlled specimen, the crack is not measurable i.e., at minimum level. Corrosion monitoring and regular maintenance is a viable way to prevent formation of rust on any environment.

Keywords: Accelerated corrosion technique, load deflection, corrosion, epoxy coating

Cite this Article

Muthumari G, Abbas Mohaideen J. Effect of Corrosion on Flexural Strength of Reinforced Concrete Beam: An Experimental Study. Recent Trends in Civil Engineering & Technology. 2017; 7(3): 1–7p.