Work

Experimental investigation on uneven corrosion characteristics and mechanical behaviors of rebar in pre‐cracked ECC under sustained loading

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper is aimed at investigating the corrosion behavior of steel rebars in pre‐cracked engineered cementitious composite (ECC) under sustained loading, simulating the service conditions of coastal underground structures exposed to chloride enriched environments. Experiments combined electrochemical corrosion (5%–15% mass loss) with mechanical loading controlled by strain (800–1200 με). Results indicate that the dense microstructure of ECC significantly inhibits chloride penetration, reducing the effective corrosion ratio to 45.4% of the theoretical value under low loads (800 με). However, higher sustained loads (1200 με) and corrosion levels exacerbate localized corrosion at crack regions, increasing the effective corrosion ratio to 95.8%. 3D scanning revealed load‐dependent corrosion patterns, transitioning from uniform to multi‐peak distributions. The findings highlight that sustained loads and crack‐induced stress concentrations critically govern corrosion non‐uniformity and mechanical performance. This paper provides a foundation for designing durable ECC‐RC hybrid structures in aggressive environments.

Source: Structural Concrete

DOI: 10.1002/suco.70464

Authors: Debo Zhao, Qianlong Wang, Jiewei Zhang, Jingming Sun

Institutions: Shenzhen University, China Construction Eighth Engineering Division (China), Linyi University

Language: English

Topic: Concrete Corrosion and Durability

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province