An Experimental Study of the Impact Mechanical Properties of RC Beams following Replacements of Stainless Steel Reinforcements of Equal Strength

Abstract

The reinforced concrete structure of a port wharf is affected by steel corrosion and ship docking impact. Replacing an ordinary steel bar with a stainless steel bar can solve the corrosion problem of the steel bar while ensuring the bearing capacity of the structure. However, the research on impact resistance of stainless steel-reinforced concrete structure is not perfect. In this paper, impact mechanical properties of reinforced concrete beams before and after equal strength replacement of stainless steel bars are analyzed by theoretical analysis and drop hammer impact test, and the possibility and applicable scope of equal strength replacement of stainless steel bars are put forward. The results indicated the following: (1) when the reinforcement ratios were small (0.21% to 1.32%), the stainless steel-reinforced concrete beams with equal strength were able to effectively reduce the stiffness losses of the beams undergoing impact loads, as well as improve the elastic resilience abilities, and reduce the structural damages. Therefore, the corrosion and impact problems of reinforcements could be solved by replacing ordinary reinforcements with stainless steel reinforcements and (2) when the reinforcement ratios were large (1.32% to 2.57%), the shear failures of the stainless steel-reinforced concrete beams were observed to be relatively serious, and the impact resistance performances had worsened. The research results provide technical support for the engineering application of stainless steel-reinforced concrete structure design.