ABSTRACT
A stochastic process for assessing the effect of spatial variability of pitting corrosion on structural reliability is developed for reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete beams in flexure. The beams are discretised into a series of elements and maximum pit depths are generated for each length of steel bar/strand in each element. Comparisons made with general corrosion showed that pitting corrosion is more critical for smaller diameter reinforcing steel bars. It was also found that up to 150% increases in 50-year probabilities of failure were observed if spatial variability of pitting corrosion are included in the analysis when compared to probabilities of failure based on the mid-span limit states only. This shows that the inclusion of spatial variability of pitting corrosion can lead to significant decreases in structural reliability for flexural members.
