Ductility analysis of reinforced concrete beams corroded by sulfate.

To investigate the deteriorating process of reinforced concrete beams corroded by sulfate, the section analysis method and fractal theory were employed to analyze and calculate the ductility of the corroded beams respectively. According to the corrosion mechanism of the concrete and reinforcing steel in sulfate environment, the normal assumption of plane section behavior was proved to hold true. The available ductility of corroded doubly reinforced concrete beam sections with a range of reinforcement corrosion and concrete degradation was discussed. Based on the mechanical test of corroded beams, a simplified expression is put forward to predict the ductility factor for the beams corroded by sulfate. Relationship! between the fractal dimension and the ductility factor of the corroded beams is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]