Abstract
The paper presents the results of an experimental program to assess the effects of manufacturing process and rusting due to extended periods of site exposure on the bond behavior of deformed bars in concrete of ordinary strength. The specimens are exposed to seven exposure periods (0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months) in the severe environment of the Arabian Gulf. A total of 63 pullout tests covering bars with three different geometries and two manufacturing processes are conducted. For each test, the bond stress vs. slip is recorded until failure. Test results have shown that bond performance of the bars is improved by short exposure; however, an extended exposure tends to adversely affect the bond performance. The decrease in bond strength after 36 months of site exposure is found to be about 10% of that of fresh bars. The manufacturing process has significant impact on the mass loss vs. exposure duration with the quenching process showing superior performance compared to the hot-rolled process. However, this is not reflected in the bond performance of bars from the two processes as they showed similar bond behavior irrespective of the manufacturing process.