Natural Frequency Response Evaluation for RC Beams Affected by Steel Corrosion Using Acceleration Sensors

This paper presented a laboratory investigation for analyzing the natural frequency response of reinforced concrete (RC) beams affected by steel corrosion. The electrochemical acceleration technique induced the corroded RC beams until the predetermined value of the steel corrosion ratio was achieved. Then, the natural frequency responses of the corroded beams were tested utilizing piezoelectric acceleration sensors. The damage states of the corroded beams were assessed through the measurement of crack parameters and the equivalent elastic modulus of the beams, which aims to clarify the fundamental characteristics of the dynamic response for the corroded RC beam with the increased steel corrosion ratio. The results revealed that steel corrosion reduces the bending stiffness of the RC beams and, thus, reduces the modal frequency. The variation of natural frequency can identify the corrosion damage even if no surface cracking of the RC beam, and the second-order frequency should be more indicative of the damage scenario. The degradations of stiffness and the natural frequency were estimated in this study by the free vibration equation of a simply supported beam, and a prediction method for the RC beam’s residual service life was established. This study supports the use of variations in natural frequency as one diagnostic indicator to evaluate the health of RC bridge structures.