• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.597-600
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• 2006

In this study, field survey of carbonation for RC column in city is carried out and carbonation behavior in sound, joint, and cracked concrete is also analyzed. Futhermore, probability of durability failure with time is calculated through considering probability variables such as concrete cover depth and carbonation depth which are obtained from field survey. The probability of durability failure in cracked concrete with considering crack width and time is also calculated and service life is predicted based on intended failure probability in domestic specification. Through this study, it is known that service life in a RC column is evaluated differently for local conditions and each service life is rapidly decreased with decrease in cover depth and increase in crack width.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.749-769
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• 2003

The structural deterioration of concrete structures due to reinforcement corrosion is a major worldwide problem. Service life of the age-degraded concrete structures is governed by the protective action provided by the cover concrete against the susceptibility of the reinforcement to the corrosive environment. The corrosion of steel would result in the various corrosion products, which depending on the level of the oxidation may have much greater volume than the original iron that gets consumed by the process of corrosion. This volume expansion would be responsible for exerting the expansive radial pressure at the steel-concrete interface resulting in the development of hoop tensile stresses in the surrounding cover concrete. Once the maximum hoop tensile stress exceeds the tensile strength of the concrete, cracking of cover concrete would take place. The cracking begins at the steel-concrete interface and propagates outwards and eventually resulting in the through cracking of the cover concrete. The cover cracking would indicate the loss of the service life for the corrosion-affected structures. In the present paper, analytical models have been developed considering the residual strength of the cracked concrete and the stiffness provided by the combination of the reinforcement and expansive corrosion products. The problem is modeled as a boundary value problem and the governing equations are expressed in terms of the radial displacement. The analytical solutions are presented considering a simple 2-zone model for the cover concrete viz. cracked or uncracked. A sensitivity analysis has also been carried out to show the influence of the various parameters of the proposed models. The time to cover cracking is found to be function of initial material properties of the cover concrete and reinforcement plus corrosion products combine, type of rust products, rate of corrosion and the residual strength of the cover concrete. The calculated cracking times are correlated against the published experimental and analytical reference data.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.621-630
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• 2013

Several techniques for steel corrosion detection are proposed and HCP (half cell potential) technique is widely adopted for field investigation. If concrete has cracks on surface, steel corrosion is rapidly accelerated due to additional intrusion of chloride and carbon dioxide ions. This study is for an evaluation of HCP in cracked concrete exposed chloride attack. For this work, RC (reinforced concrete) beams are prepared considering 3 w/c ratios (0.35, 0.55, and 0.70) and several cover depths (10~60 mm) and various crack widths of 0.0~1.0 mm are induced. For 35 days, SST (salt spraying test) is performed for corrosion acceleration, and HCP and corrosion length of rebar are evaluated. With increasing crack width, w/c ratios, and decreasing cover depth, HCP measurements increase. HCP evaluation technique is proposed considering the effects of w/c ratios, crack width, and cover depth. Furthermore anti-corrosive cover depths are obtained through Life365 program and the results are compared with those from this study. The results shows relatively big difference in cracked concrete, however provide similar anti-corrosive conditions in sound concrete.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.517-525
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• 2021

More underground structures are increasingly being constructed such as box culverts for electric power transmission, and the life extension of these structures is very important. It is well known that the steel embedded in concrete is usually invulnerable to corrosion because the high alkalinity of the pore solution in concrete generates a thin protective oxide layer on the surface of the steel. Recent observations in the field and experimental evidence have shown that even steel in concrete can be corroded through the carbonation reaction of cover concrete. Carbonation-induced corrosion in concrete may often occur in a high carbon dioxide environment. In this study, the risk of carbonation of underground box culverts in Korea was evaluated by measuring the car¬bonation rate and concrete cover depth in the field. Then, the carbonation-free service life for the cover depth of the steel was calcu¬lated with in situ information and Monte Carlo simulation. Additionally, an accelerated carbonation test for a cracked beam specimen was performed, and the effect of a crack on the service life of a box culvert was numerically investigated with Monte Carlo simulation based on experimental results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.863-878
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• 2004

Steel corrosion in reinforced concrete structures leads to concrete cover cracking, reduction of bond strength, and reduction of steel cross section. Among theses consequences mentioned, reduction of bond strength between reinforcement and concrete is of great importance to study the behaviour of RC members with corroded reinforcement. In this paper, firstly, an analytical model based on smeared cracking and average stress-strain relationship of concrete in tension is proposed to evaluate the maximum bursting pressure development in the cover concrete for noncorroded bar. Secondly, the internal pressure caused by the expansion of the corrosion products is evaluated by treating the cracked concrete as an orthotropic material. Finally, bond strength for corroded reinforcing bar is calculated and compared with test results.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.116-122
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• 2007

The concrete structures in Metropolitan city are usually exposed to carbonation and corrosion of embedded steel occurs due to the carbonation. In inspection and diagnosis of concrete structures, carbonation depth in sound concrete is mainly evaluated and service life for concrete structure is predicted based on the result. Generally, however, mass concrete structures such as columns have construction joint for suitable placing and also have cracks in early-age. In this study, carbonation depth in RC columns used for 20 years in metropolitan city is evaluated and also analyzed by considering the local conditions like sound, cracked, and joint area. The carbonation depth in cracked and joint area is more rapid than that in sound area, and it is thought to be more desirable to consider this effect in concrete structures with small cover depth. Furthermore, the technique for carbonation prediction in cracked concrete is derived in terms of crack width and the results from this technique are verified by comparing those from previous research.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.18 no.1E
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• pp.17-22
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• 2006

Artificial cracks were made in the cover concrete of specimens embedding ten types of steel rebars of different Cr contents. The research aims for developing Cr-bearing steel rebars resistant to macrocell corrosion environments induced by cracking in cover concrete. The cracks were subjected to intensive penetration of carbon dioxide (carbonation specimens) to form macrocells. The carbonation specimens were then treated with accelerated corrosion curing, during which current macrocell corrosion density was measured. The corrosion area and loss from corrosion were also measured at the end of 105 cycles of this accelerated curing. The results of the study showed that Cr-bearing steel with Cr content of 5% or more suppressed corrosion in a macrocell corrosion environment induced by the differences in the pH values due to carbonation of cracked parts. Cr-bearing steels with Cr content of 7% or more are proven to possess excellent corrosion resistance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.713-732
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• 2008

Serviceability and durability of the concrete members can be seriously affected by the corrosion of steel rebar. Carbonation front and or chloride ingress can destroy the passive film on rebar and may set the corrosion (oxidation process). Depending on the level of oxidation (expansive corrosion products/rust) damage to the cover concrete takes place in the form of expansion, cracking and spalling or delamination. This makes the concrete unable to develop forces through bond and also become unprotected against further degradation from corrosion; and thus marks the end of service life for corrosion-affected structures. This paper presents an analytical model that predicts the weight loss of steel rebar and the corresponding time from onset of corrosion for the known corrosion rate and thus can be used for the determination of time to cover cracking in corrosion affected RC member. This model uses fully the thick-walled cylinder approach. The gradual crack propagation in radial directions (from inside) is considered when the circumferential tensile stresses at the inner surface of intact concrete have reached the tensile strength of concrete. The analysis is done separately with and without considering the stiffness of reinforcing steel and rust combine along with the assumption of zero residual strength of cracked concrete. The model accounts for the time required for corrosion products to fill a porous zone before they start inducing expansive pressure on the concrete surrounding the steel rebar. The capability of the model to produce the experimental trends is demonstrated by comparing the model's predictions with the results of experimental data published in the literature. The effect of considering the corroded reinforcing steel bar stiffness is demonstrated. A sensitivity analysis has also been carried out to show the influence of the various parameters. It has been found that material properties and their inter-relations significantly influence weight loss of rebar. Time to cover cracking from onset of corrosion for the same weight loss is influenced by corrosion rate and state of oxidation of corrosion product formed. Time to cover cracking from onset of corrosion is useful in making certain decisions pertaining to inspection, repair, rehabilitation, replacement and demolition of RC member/structure in corrosive environment.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.49-58
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• 2008

Generally, steel corrosion occurs in concrete structures due to carbonation in down-town area and underground site and it propagates to degradation of structural performance. In general diagnosis and inspection, only carbonation depth in sound concrete is evaluated but unsound concrete such as joint and cracked area may occur easily in a concrete member due to construction process. In this study, field survey of carbonation for RC columns in down-town area is performed and carbonation depth in joint and cracked concrete including sound area is measured. Probability of durable failure with time is calculated through probability variables such as concrete cover depth and carbonation depth which are obtained from field survey. In addition, service life of the structures is predicted based on the intended probability of durable failure in domestic concrete specification. It is evaluated that in a RC column, various service life is predicted due to local condition and it is rapidly decreased with insufficient cover depth and growth of crack width. It is also evaluated that obtaining cover depth and quality of concrete is very important because the probability of durable failure is closely related with C.O.V. of cover depth.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.103-119
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• 2013

The applicability of limit analysis methods in design and assessment of concrete structures generally requires a certain plastic deformation capacity. The latter is primarily provided by the ductility of the reinforcement, being additionally affected by the bond properties between reinforcing steel and concrete since they provoke strain localization in the reinforcement at cracks. The bond strength of reinforcing bars is not only governed by concrete quality, but also by construction details such as bar ribbing, bar spacing or concrete cover thickness. For new concrete structures, a potentially unfavorable impact on bond strength can easily be anticipated through appropriate code rules on construction details. In existing structures, these requirements may not be necessarily satisfied, consequently requiring additional considerations. This two-part paper investigates in a theoretical study the impacts of the most frequently encountered construction details which may not satisfy design code requirements on bond strength, steel strain localization and plastic deformation capacity of cracked structural concrete. The first part introduces basic considerations on bond, strain localization and plastic deformation capacity as well as the fundamentals of the Tension Chord Model underlying the further investigations. It also analyzes the impacts of the hardening behavior of reinforcing steel and concrete quality. The second part discusses the impacts of construction details (bar ribbing, bar spacing, and concrete cover thickness) and of additional structure-specific features such as bar diameter and crack spacing.