Effect of Longitudinal Crack Width Variation on Bond Behavior Degradation Due to Rebar Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete

Pullout bond tests using specimens with an expansion-agent-filled pipe (EAFP) simulating the cracking due to rebar corrosion were conducted to evaluate the deterioration of bond behavior when the crack width is not uniformly distributed along the longitudinal direction. The primary specimens for the pullout test are designed with a bond length equal to 20 times the bar diameter. To investigate the distribution of bond stress along the rebar in detail, a bond analysis was performed using the local bond stress–slip model as a function of the induced crack width that is developed based on the pullout test of the specimens with a bond length of four times the rebar diameter. The EAFP simulation showed a tendency for larger crack widths at the free end, likely due to filling the expansion agent from the load-end side. From the results of the pullout bond test, as the induced crack width increases, the maximum bond stress decreases. The results of the bond analysis, assuming the five patterns of crack width distributions along the longitudinal direction, showed that the bond stress–slip curve is little affected by the difference in the crack width distribution. Within a bonded length up to 20 times the rebar diameter, the differences in crack width variations had little effect on the distribution of the local bond stress. It is possible to evaluate the bond behavior based on the average crack width.