Rebar corrosion and concrete cracking of corrugated steel web beams in chloride environment

This article establishes numerical models, analyzes corrosion damage mechanisms, and predicts the structural service life for the corrugated steel web bridge engineering in the chlorine salt environment. The aim is to comprehensively evaluate its corrosion resistance and safety, and formulate corresponding maintenance measures accordingly. The results indicate that rapid diffusion of chloride ions occurs during the initial stage of simulation, and after 50 years, there is little change in the distribution of chloride ion content within the corrugated steel web beam. The corrosion depth at various points on the surface of the steel reinforcement gradually increases over time, exhibiting significant uneven corrosion. The damage to the corrugated steel web beam is primarily caused by corrosion of ordinary steel bars that have not undergone anti-corrosion treatment. This corrosion is primarily concentrated at the interfaces between the concrete edges and the reinforcement. Adopting methods such as reducing the environmental chloride salt content, increasing the thickness of the reinforcement protective layer, and replacing it with denser concrete structures can effectively delay the occurrence of concrete cracking.