Study on Deterioration of Seismic Capacity for RC Bridges Attacked by Corrosion

Study on Deterioration of Seismic Capacity for RC Bridges Attacked by Corrosion

The structural performance of existing reinforced concrete(RC) bridges is highly dependent on the changing properties of the concrete and reinforcing steel caused by neutralization or chloride-induced corrosion. This study utilized previous regression analyses to predict the effect of neutralization and chloride-induced corrosion on bridges in Taiwan in order to define the properties of the deteriorated plastic hinge of a neutralized RC bridge column. Based on the defined plastic hinge, and considering neutralization and chloride-induced corrosion, decayed seismic capacity curves can be obtained from a pushover analysis. As a result, the performance regression curve of the whole structure can also be determined quantitatively via structural analysis. The results obtained can not only systematically describe the life cycle of the existing RC bridges, but also reveal the critical time at which repair or retrofit of the neutralized bridges is necessary to prevent sub-standard performance. This study can improve maintenance and minimize life cycle costs(LCC) of the relevant bridges.