FRACTALS IN FAILURE OF CORRODED REINFORCED CONCRETE MEMBERS

It is verified that the surface cracks on the corroded reinforced concrete members take on the fractal behavior in the analysis of crack propagation using the experimental data. Fractal geometry is employed to investigate the cracking and failure process of the corroded reinforced concrete members. The relationships between the fractal dimension of surface cracks and the influence factors, which include compressive strength of corroded concrete, corrosion ratio of reinforcement and the ductility of the corroded member, are discussed respectively. As a result, the fractal dimension is proposed as an index to evaluate mechanical property of the corrosion degree of the corroded reinforced concrete members. A new approach is put forward to evaluate residual life of the corroded reinforced concrete members, which lays down a theoretical foundation for evaluation of bearing capacity of the corroded reinforced concrete structure.