ABSTRACT
This paper presents a numerical evaluation of reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures exposed to different levels of corrosion. A non-linear finite element fibre-based approach is used. The numerical model utilized in the numerical simulations was first compared and validated against a set of experimental test results from the literature. The framed model is then assessed with respect to the European Standards in order to evaluate the impact of corrosion on the damage associated to different Limit States. The results showed that the corroded RC columns are subjected to a significant reduction, especially for high levels of corrosion and total exposure of the column, both of shear strength and ductility. Finally, a typical existing RC building located in Italy was analyzed through linear and non-linear analyses to evaluate the response of an actual building when exposed to aggressive environments. The results showed that corrosion reduces both the base shear capacity and ductility of the sample framed building. Particularly, while corroded columns decrease mainly the base shear capacity, corroded beams reduce significantly the ductility of the aged building. Moreover, time-history analyses showed that earthquakes with a Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) of greater than 0.23 g increased the inter-storey displacements of the corroded RC structure, while earthquakes with a PGA of less than 0.23 had a hardly noticeable influence.
