FINITE-ELEMENT MODELING OF CORROSION DAMAGE IN CONCRETE STRUCTURES

The premature deterioration of concrete structures due to corrosion of the reinforcement has created a multibillion dollar problem in the United States alone. In this paper, numerical modeling options to predict mechanical damage in concrete structures resulting from the volume expansion of the corrosion products are discussed. The smeared crack approach is used to develop a versatile numerical model for corrosion damage in concrete, whose features include: a) a number of options for modeling crack formation and propagation; b) the capacity to accept any shape of corrosion around the reinforcing bars; c) the ability to incorporate dead and live load stresses and initial shrinkage and temperature cracks in the analysis, and d) pre- and post-processing modules which offer automatic mesh generation capabilities and visual representation of crack propagation. The numerical model provides a tool that may be used to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of damage propagation due to corrosion of the reinforcement, delamination, and spalling of concrete structures. If corrosion rates are known, the model supplies information for condition assessment of existing concrete structures.