Partially corroded reinforced concrete piers under axial compression and cyclic loading: An experimental study

Twelve reinforced concrete (RC) pier specimens were developed and partially corroded to simulate severe corrosion in splash and tidal zones. Six target corrosion levels were applied to rebars and stirrups using an electrochemical accelerated corrosion technique. Axial compression loading and cyclic loading tests were carried out with six specimens per group. The test results showed that mechanical parameters of pier specimens degraded with an increase in corrosion. The ultimate load, ductility factor, energy dissipation decreased by 29.96%, 9.26%, 67.44% for axial compression specimen with 15.82% rebar mass loss compared to those of intact specimen; for cyclic loading specimens, they decreased by 10.69%, 21.47%, 57.46% with 15.71% rebar mass loss, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that the difference for the degradation level of dimensionless parameters was not obvious between axial compression loading and cyclic loading tests. Findings also showed that for severely corroded specimens, the plastic hinge zone transferred from the bottom of RC piers to the splash and tidal zones. Although the extent of the degradation of the results between the published paper and this test shows significant variations; degradation of dimensionless energy dissipation was always the most serious one.