Study of the Deformation Capacity of Corroded Passive Rebars

Abstract

The steel used as passive reinforcements in reinforced concrete structures must have certain resistance requirements and also meet minimum ductility condi-tions. The ductility requirements have increased significantly since the 1980s as a result of the increasing use of analysis procedures for reinforced concrete structures based on the limited redistribution of moments and the greater concern in the calcu-lations of structures located in seismic zones where a greater capacity of deformation energy consumption of the structures is needed, an aspect closely linked to ductility, or in structures where stresses cannot be quantified with sufficient precision. There are different ways of assessing the ductility of a reinforcement that have changed over time. In Spain, three criteria have been used for decades to define the ductility of a reinforcement: (i) quotient between the breaking stress and the elastic limit; (ii) deformation measured at the point of maximum stress and (iii) breaking strain measured in 5 diameters. In many internationally used regulations of the above three parameters the first two are used, but the third is not considered. In the present study, 68 B 500 SD steel trusses have been subjected to a corrosion procedure, measuring the loss of midsection, testing for traction and obtaining the two deformation param-eters that take into account the Spanish regulations. The results indicate that, for corroded armor, there is no relationship between them.