Experimental shear tests of reinforced concrete beams with corroded longitudinal reinforcement

In this study, shear tests were conducted to investigate the effect of corrosion damage induced in longitudinal reinforcement on the shear resistance mechanisms of reinforced concrete (RC) members without transverse reinforcement. A total of eight RC beam specimens were carefully designed and fabricated, and accelerated corrosion and typical shear tests were conducted considering various anchorage conditions and corrosion rates that were introduced in the longitudinal tension reinforcement as the key test variables. Test results showed that when the tensile reinforcement was not sufficiently anchored at the end regions of the RC members, the shear strengths of the test specimens decreased as the corrosion rate increased. In contrast, when the longitudinal reinforcement was properly anchored using the hook detail, the shear strengths showed a clear trend of increase, even when the longitudinal reinforcement was severely corroded.