Effects of Different Patterns of Reinforcement Corrosion on Concrete Cover and Residual Strength in Aged Bridge Piers: State-Of-The-Art-Review

Canadian infrastructure is exposed to extreme climate conditions from temperature fluctuations and cyclic precipitations, which are expected to increase. The effect of climate change exacerbates the condition of aged reinforced concrete (RC) infrastructure exposed to multiple environmental deteriorating mechanisms in the presence of service loads. Over time, the increase of wet and dry cycles in the presence of de-icing agents leads to premature deterioration of aged infrastructure due to reinforcement corrosion. This is apparent in material degradation (cracking and spalling) and overall reduction in strength and resiliency of aged bridge piers. The damage degree and pattern of reinforcement corrosion that aged columns suffer from are variable. The objective of this paper is to review available research on the effects of different reinforcement corrosion levels and patterns on the degradation of the concrete cover, residual strength, stiffness, ductility and confinement of RC columns subjected to eccentric loads. This paper also reviews research methods utilized to evaluate concrete cover loss and residual capacity and confinement. The paper is organized as follows: (i) experimental, (ii) analytical and (iii) numerical studies that evaluate corrosion effects on RC columns in terms of residual strength, ductility, stiffness and confinement effect; (iv) estimation of concrete cover loss; (v) existing research gaps to evaluate performance of RC columns and future work to address them.