Corrosion effects on the flexural performance of prestressed reinforced concrete beams

An experimental campaign aimed at understanding the behavior of corroded prestressed beams is carried out to investigate the effects of low corrosion levels spreading along the entire beams. The results show that corrosion affects the flexural stiffness, the beams’ crack pattern, and the failure conditions. Analytical models, implemented to simulate the experimental investigation, allowed a better interpretation of the obtained results, showing that the flexural performance of the corroded beam is governed by both a prestress loss and a reduction of the strand’s mechanical properties, such as ultimate strength and strain.