Mechanical behavior of corroded strands: a review of constitutive models

Chloride-induced pitting corrosion of prestressing strands is one of the main causes of degradation and collapse of existing pre-tensioned and post-tensioned bridges and viaducts. To assess the residual performance of these structures and plan effective maintenance, a complete understanding of this phenomenon is necessary. In fact, pitting corrosion reduces strands cross-sectional area and affects steel properties, like ultimate strength or strain. For this reason, a review of five different constitutive models found in literature has been carried out. A comparison between the different experimental procedures and hypotheses has been made. Due to the complexity of the problem and the different assumptions made by authors, models results exhibit significant differences, particularly in predicting ultimate strength.