Corrosion durability of high performance steel fibre reinforced concrete

High performance concrete containing steel fibre has gained popularity in recent decades for use in aggressive environments such as coastal and marine structures. It is generally acknowledged that steel fibres are added to improve the toughness, abrasion resistance, flexural behaviour and impact strength of concrete. However, little information is available about the rate of corrosion of fibres in concrete with pozzolanic cementitious matrix and its effects on ductility and flexural capacity of reinforced concrete, which play an important role in long-term serviceability of concrete structures. This paper presents the results of an experimental study that was carried out by accelerating corrosion process to evaluate the effect of corrosion of steel fibres on residual compressive and flexural strength concrete. The mechanical properties of fibre reinforced concrete containing PFA and GGBS subjected to accelerated corrosion were measured and results were correlated to the estimated rate of corrosion.