Corrosion fatigue of reinforced concrete in the presence of stray current

A research program has been carried out to clarify the effect of stray current corrosion of steel in concrete on the fatigue performance of reinforced concrete under the simultaneous action of environmental corrosion and repeated load. The fatigue damage evolution law of reinforcement was analyzed by continuously monitoring the variation of the ultrasound wave velocity flowing through the concrete beam along its central axis. The results indicate that the fatigue damage evolution law of the reinforced concrete beams in the presence of stray current is similar to those of the control concrete beams under the atmospheric condition and also divided into three stages, the initial stage, the development stage and the failure stage. However, the fatigue damage rate of the reinforced concrete is visibly accelerated due to the cooperative action of stray current corrosion, especially in the coexisted circumstance of stray current and chloride ion, resulting in its fatigue life obviously decreased.