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To investigate the influence of corroded steel bars on seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns, eight full-scale RC columns were designed and fabricated, which were composed of one uncorroded RC column, three RC columns with longitudinal reinforcement corrosion and four stirrup-corroded RC columns. The electrochemical test was conducted to accelerate the corrosion of steel bars in RC columns, and the low-cyclic repeated loading tests on RC columns with corrosion-damaged steel bars were carried out. The seismic behavior indicators, including the hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, displacement ductility coefficient, stiffness degradation curves and energy dissipation capacity of corroded RC columns and uncorroded columns, were compared and discussed. The experimental results show that with the increase in steel bars corrosion degree, the pinch phenomenon of the hysteretic curve gradually increases, and the energy dissipation capacity, stiffness and plastic deformation capacity of specimen reduce significantly. The ductility and energy dissipation coefficient decreased by 20% and 36%, respectively, when the stirrups corrosion ratio of specimen reaches 15.2%, and a shear failure surface was formed in the plastic hinge zone at the foot of the columns, which leads to the change of failure mode from ductile bending failure to shear failure with poor ductility under the ultimate load for corroded columns. The influence of stirrup corrosion on the failure mode of specimens is remarkable, but the effect of longitudinal reinforcement corrosion is negligible for specimens with the corrosion ratio within 14.7%. The adverse effects caused by over 15.2% stirrup corrosion should be considered in seismic design of structures in seismic zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]