Behavior of reinforced concrete beam subjected to corrosion damage under cyclic loading

Corrosion of reinforcement in concrete structures is one of the critical reasons for reducing bearing capacity, causing premature deterioration, and deducing their service life. In this research, several reinforced concrete beams have been designed identically and subjected to different ranges of accelerated corrosion (0 % to 11.3 %) and tested to determine the variation in flexural behavior under cyclic loading. The results showed that in the early stages of corrosion up to 2%, the specimen bearing capacity, deflection, and flexural stiffness have not been significantly affected. As the rate of corrosion in the reinforcements increases, the specimens enter to plastic zone earlier, bearing capacity decreases up to 50%, flexural stiffness reduces by 30%, and deflection increases up to 230% when compared to the reference specimen having no corrosion damage.