Modeling of Circumferential Non-uniform Corrosion Profile of Steel Bar in Concrete Induced by Chloride Penetration

Circumferential non-uniform corrosion of steel bar induced by chloride penetration may cause more severe damage to reinforced concrete structures. In this paper the evolution of circumferential non-uniform corrosion profile is... [ view full abstract ]

Circumferential non-uniform corrosion of steel bar induced by chloride penetration may cause more severe damage to reinforced concrete structures. In this paper the evolution of circumferential non-uniform corrosion profile is investigated, considering the influence of corrosion-induced cover cracking which results in increase oxygen permeability. The typical chloride penetration coupled with the micro- and macro-cell corrosion process is simulated by the Finite Element Method (FEM). The time-dependent corrosion rate around the circumferential surface of steel bar is obtained based on Faraday’s law; thereafter, the residual cross-section profile at different time is deduced. The numerical simulation results show that macro-cell corrosion rate may decrease significantly while micro-cell corrosion rate may remain unchanged during the gradual propagation process of corrosion around steel bar. The corrosion products distribution around the steel bar shows a good agreement with test results both before and after cracking of concrete cover, and the proposed computational model is more reasonable when crack effect is considered.