Punching shear strength analysis corroded reinforcement concrete slab

Abstract

Corrosion of reinforcement elements has always been an issue in the industry, especially with a tropical climate such as Singapore’s where old buildings and infrastructures are still in operation. Although periodic inspections are carried out every 10 years for residential and every 5 years for non-residential buildings, the serviceability and strength of building components inside are not easily available to inspect and could be significantly impacted by the corroded reinforcements. Thus, it would greatly aid the industry to understand the punching shear strength of the slabs, subjected to corroded reinforcement materials and analyze the residual strength. The purpose of the project is to experiment and analyze the strength, serviceability, and performances of different slab specimens with varying degrees of corroded reinforcement. Due to time constraints, the corrosion of the slab reinforcement was artificially oxidized to accelerate the process and achieve different desired level of corrosion. To assure better accuracy in the results, the specimens are casted with exact parameters except for the level of corrosion of the reinforcement.