Effect of prestressed force and size of reinforcement on corrosion crack width in concrete member

One of the main factors which terminate service life of concrete structure in corrosive environment is corrosion attack. Rust expansion of corroded reinforcement in concrete causes corrosion crack. Crack width due to corrosion on the surface of concrete is influenced by some factors, i.e., prestressed force, size of reinforcement and thickness of concrete cover. Effect of prestressed force and size of reinforcement in corrosion crack width is investigated using numerical simulation based on elastic expansion model which is adopted to discover those influences. Three specimens of prestressed concrete beam and three specimens of reinforced concrete beam are utilized in the investigation. Experimental work is carried out to validate the numerical simulation results. It is found that prestressed force has insignificant influence on corrosion crack width. Meanwhile, size of reinforcement contributes greatly on crack width due to corrosion on the surface of concrete