Finite element modeling the structural effects of chloride corrosion in concrete cover

Resumo

As the construction industry grows, corrosion-related pathologies in reinforced concrete members inten-
sified. These pathologies evolve from the ingress of chloride ions, decreasing structural elements safety. Formation

of pitting in the steel bars characterizes this phenomenon, which non-uniformly corrodes the cross section of the
reinforcements. The main objective of this study is to develop a computational tool to evaluate the corrosion of
concrete structures due to the action of chloride ions. We use a total Lagrangian description of the equilibrium with

the Positional Finite Element Method (Positional FEM). Two-dimensional finite elements with cubic approxima-
tion using Mazar’s damage criterion has been used to model the concrete matrix, while two-dimensional (particles)

finite elements has been used to model the steel bars, coupled by the embedded technique. A deterministic appro-
ach is adopted to evaluate the harmful effects of the corrosion propagation on cross section of reinforced concrete

elements, in particular, the non-uniform stresses generated by the advance of the rust layer. Finally, a numerical
example is presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the developed code and its applicability in evaluating of
non-uniform corrosion.