Fractal Characteristics of Corrosion-Induced Cracks in Reinforced Concrete

Abstract

Based on the fractal geometry, a quantitative index describing the development degree of the internal corrosion expansion of reinforced concrete was proposed. This approach could describe the similarity and complexity of the development of corrosion-induced cracks in concrete simultaneously. Based on this approach, the influence of cracking pattern and coarse aggregate distribution on crack distribution was investigated. This study obtained the crack distribution of reinforced concrete by using the half-soaking galvanic accelerated corrosion method. The results showed that the cracking pattern was the main factor affecting the complexity of crack distribution. For cracks with the simplest cracking pattern, the presence of coarse aggregate and its surface irregularity greatly affected their development trend.

Keywords

• reinforced concrete structure
• corrosion-induced cracks
• fractal geometry
• characteristic contour parameter
• cracking pattern