Abstract
The influence of stirrup corrosion on the shear strength of reinforced concrete slender beams was investigated and presented in this paper. A total of nine full-scale reinforced concrete beams were constructed and tested. The beams measured 200 mm (7.87 in.) wide, 350 mm (13.78 in.) deep, and 2800 mm (110.24 in.) long. Six beams had the embedded stirrups subjected to accelerated corrosion. The beams were tested in four-point bending under a simply supported span of 2400 mm (94.49 in.) and a shear span-depth ratio of 3. The test variables included the corrosion damage level and the spacing of stirrups. The test results indicated that the corroded beams exhibited reduced shear strength in comparison to the uncorroded control beams. The reduction in shear strength became more pronounced as the corrosion level increased. The study was extended showing how to incorporate the corrosion effects into the current shear design method. The shear strength of the tested corroded beams was predicted using the proposed design procedure. Good correlation and agreement were found by comparing the predicted and experimental shear strength of the beams.