Abstract
The present research investigated the interaction among loading level, corrosion rate and flexural deflection of reinforced concrete beams. 10cm$\times$15cm$\times$110cm reinforced concrete beams were prepared and subjected to different levels of flexural loading, including 0%, 45% and 75% of the ultimate load. The beams with either a pre-load or a sustained load were also exposed to a laboratory environment with ponding and wetting/drying cycling at room temperature. Half cell potential and galvanized current measurements were taken to monitor corrosion process of reinforcing steel. After corrosion initiation, external current was applied to some of the beams to accelerate corrosion propagation. The beam deflections were recorded during the entire tests. The results indicate that loading level has significant effect on corrosion rate. The beams under a sustained load had much higher corrosion rate than the pre-loaded and then unloaded beams. Significant corrosion may result in an increase in beam deflection and affect serviceability of the structure. The present research may provide an insight into structural condition evaluation and service life predictions of reinforced concrete.
