Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties of Squat RC Shear Walls with Corrosion Along the Base

In corrosive environments containing chloride and sulfate, the corrosion of steel bars is common along the base of squat RC shear walls (SRCSW) due to problems such as construction quality, concrete stress concentration, local defects, and accumulation of water and corrosive media. In this paper, three SRCSWs are designed and constructed and their mechanical properties assessed. One side of each SRCSW was exposed to a corrosive environment for 70 days, while the other side was subject to the same conditions over different corrosion times (i.e., 0 day, 42 days, and 70 days). Then, the corrosion-induced cracking process, the mechanical properties of SRCSWs corroded along the base, the relationship between the mass loss of total steel bars (MLTSB) in the corroded area and the wall mechanical properties, and the relationship between the average width of corrosion-induced cracks (CICs) and the wall mechanical properties were studied through an accelerated corrosion test and a loading failure test. The results indicate that the area of corrosion-induced cracking on SRCSWs increased with the corrosion time, and the cracking area on the different SRCSWs was approximately identical when the SRCSWs were exposed to the same corrosion time. When the degree of corrosion was different, the loading failure characteristics of the SRCSWs were obviously different, but the failure mode always corresponded to shear failure. The load–displacement curves of the SRCSWs with different degrees of corrosion along the base basically coincided and were linear when the loading was in the elastic stage. Compared to SW-1, the peak load of SW-2 decreased by 4.0%, but that of SW-3 increased by 2.7%. Compared to SW-1, the yield loads of SW-2 and SW-3 decreased by 22.4% and 11.8%, respectively. When the MLTSB increased from 13.05% to 16.71%, the crack, yield, and peak loads of the SRCSWs corroded along the base decreased by 8.8%, 22.4%, and 6.8%, respectively. The cracking, yield, and peak loads of the SRCSWs corroded along the base decreased linearly with the increase in MLTSB and the average width of the CICs, and the corresponding fitting relations were established. The results of this study can serve as a reference for the durability design of SRCSWs in corrosive environments.