Modelling of Corrosion-Induced Concrete Cover Cracking Due to Chloride Attacking

The premature failure of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is significantly affected by chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcing steel. Although researchers have achieved many outstanding results in the structural capacity of RC structures in the past few decades, the topic of service life has gradually attracted researchers’ attention. In this work, based on the stress intensity, two models are developed to predict the threshold expansive pressure, corrosion rate and cover cracking time of the corrosion-induced cracking process for RC structures. Specifically, in the proposed models, both the influence of initial defects and modified corrosion current density are taken into account. The results given by these models are in a good agreement with practical experience and laboratory studies, and the influence of each parameter on cover cracking is analyzed. In addition, considering the uncertainty existing in the deterioration process of RC structures, a methodology based on the third-moment method in regard to the stochastic process is proposed, which is able to evaluate the cracking risk of RC structures quantitatively and predict their service life. This method provides a good means to solve relevant problems and can prolong the service life of concrete infrastructures subjected to corrosion by applying timely inspection and repairs.