Prediction of propagation time of corrosion is a key element in evaluating the service life of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Corroded steel products often expand in volume and thus generate tensile stress in the concrete cover. When this tensile stress exceeds the tensile strength of the concrete, cracking occurs. The tensile stresses in concrete due to corrosion are usually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reinforcement. In the reinforced concrete beams, tensile stresses in concrete due to bending is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of stirrups. In the reinforced concrete slabs, the tensile stresses in concrete due to bending is also perpendicular to the axis of longitudinal reinforcement subjected to bending in the other direction. In such cases, the tensile stresses in concrete due to corrosion of reinforcement has the same direction as the tensile stress caused by bending. When the load-induced stress in the concrete has the same direction as that of the corrosion-induced stress, cracks will likely appear more quickly and vice versa. The main objective of this paper is to build a predictive model of corrosion propagation time taking into account: (1) the effect of stresses due to load; (2) the change of corrosion current density. The model was implemented on Matlab software. The results show the influence of the load, and other parameters on the corrosion propagation stage, when considering the end of this corrosion propagation stage is cracking of concrete cover.

Reinforced concrete is one of the most widely used structural components about which much scientific research has been conducted; however, some of its characteristics still require further research. The main focus of this study is the effect of direct fire on the shear transfer strength of concrete. It was investigated under several parameters including concrete strength, number of stirrup legs (the steel area across the shear plane), and fire duration. The experimental program involved the testing of two sets (groups) of specimens (12 specimens each) with different concrete strengths. Each set contained specimens of two or four stirrup legs exposed to direct fire from one side (the fire was in an open area to simulate a real-life event) for a duration of one, two, and three hours. The results of the comparison showed the importance of using high-performance concrete (instead of increasing the number of stirrup legs) to resist shear stress for the purpose of safety. A significant reduction in shear strength occurred due to the deterioration of the concrete cover after three hours of direct fire exposure.

In this paper, four full-scale concrete columns with high-strength spiral stirrups (HSSS) are constructed and tested under low-cycle repeated loading. The specimens consisted of two castin- place columns and two precast concrete columns encased by a partly square steel pipe and bolt bars.The structural analysis of the HSSS columns of precast concrete conducted here is novel, and past experimental data for this are not available.To assess the seismic behavior and failure mechanisms of the new connections, quasi-static tests were carried out on columns prefabricated with them and cast-in-place specimens.The responses of all columns were compared, and the results showed that the failure modes of all columns are the large eccentric damage, and the destruction of all specimens occur at the column foot. The anti-seismic property of the precast HSSS concrete columns was comparable to that of the HSSS cast-in-place columns. A comparison of such performance parameters as energy dissipation and coefficient of ductility revealed that the precast HSSS concrete columns are suitable for use in earthquake zones.