Behavior of Hybrid Reinforced Concrete Beams Under Influence of Seawater

When concrete structures are exposed directly or indirectly to marine environments, this results in corrosion of steel reinforcement and degradation of the concrete due to the chloride attack of chloride on concrete. Therefore, this research will study the behavior of hybrid reinforced concrete beams made of rebar’s steel and Glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFFRP) under the influence of seawater by simulating the marine environment using an accelerated corrosion test according to ASTM G31. The study was conducted on nine concrete beams with dimensions 150×250×1300 mm, in which six beams were exposed to corrosion, and three beams were exposed to air. The nine concrete beams were subjected to flexural strength testing after the completion of the accelerated corrosion test, after an immersion period of 45 days. the experimental results showed, that the electrochemical corrosion method did not corrode the GFRP bars in comparison to concrete beams with steel reinforcement that affected by the corrosion process, which in turn led to a decrease in ductility for beams with steel reinforcement. Despite the existence of silica fume and corrosion inhibitor (MCI 2005) in some specimens. The hybrid beams have a lower capacity than non-corroded beams due to concrete cracking in the tensile zone resulting from rebar corrosion.