Seismic Performance Assessment of Solid RC Columns Deteriorated by Chloride-Induced Corrosion

This study aims to evaluate the seismic performance of solid reinforced concrete (RC) columns that have deteriorated owing to chloride-induced corrosion and to contribute to the development of new performance-based seismic design standards. RC-column specimens were designed and fabricated, with polyethylene pipes installed up to a height of 600 mm from the bottom of the outer surface to accelerate corrosion. Quasi-static tests were conducted on both the control and corroded specimens to examine the behavioral characteristics of the solid RC columns under varying levels of corrosion. To quantitatively assess damage in deteriorated RC columns under seismic loading, an existing damage index was newly revised by incorporating the reduction in elongation capacity of the reinforcing bars. The proposed numerical analysis method accurately predicted the seismic performance at each loading stage based on the corrosion level of solid RC columns deteriorated owing to aging and related degradation mechanisms.