Effects of Corrosion on Compressive Arch Action and Catenary Action of RC Frames to Resist Progressive Collapse Based on Numerical Analysis

• Published in: Materials Vol. 14; no. 10; p. 2662
• Main Authors: Zhang, Lu, Wei, Tingyu, Li, Hongyu, Zeng, Jian, Deng, Xiaofang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 19.05.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Arches; Catastrophic collapse; compressive arch action; Concrete; Corrosion; Corrosion effects; Corrosion prevention; Corrosion resistance; Design optimization; Empirical analysis; FEM; Frame structures; Load; Mathematical models; Mechanical properties; Numerical analysis; Numerical models; progressive collapse; Rebar; Reinforced concrete; Robustness (mathematics); Shear strength; tensile catenary action
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma14102662

Many negative factors can influence the progressive collapse resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures. One of the most important factors is the corrosion of rebar within the structure. With increasing severity of corrosion, the duration, robustness, and mechanical performance can be greatly impaired. One specific side effect of rebar corrosion is the significant loss of protection against progressive collapse. In order to quantify the effects of rebar corrosion on load-resisting mechanisms (compressive arch action (CAA) and tensile catenary action (TCA)) of RC frames, a series of numerical investigations were carried out in this paper. The previous experimental results reported in the literature provide a benchmark for progressive collapse behavior as a sound condition and validate the proposed numerical model. Furthermore, based on the verified numerical model, the CAA and TCA with increasing corrosion and an elapsed time from 0 to 70 years are investigated. Comparing with the conventional empirical model, the proposed numerical model has shown the ability and feasibility in predicting the collapse resistance capacity in structures with corroded rebar. Therefore, this numerical modeling strategy provides comprehensive insights into the change of load-resisting mechanisms in these structures, which can be beneficial for optimizing the design.