Seismic vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete bridge piers with corroded bars

Abstract Reinforced concrete (RC) structures located in aggressive environment, for example, RC bridge piers close to the sea and experiencing chloride attacks, may be exposed an increased seismic vulnerability. This requires practical yet effective safety assessment strategies aimed determine behavior by incorporating corrosion deterioration phenomena. An easy‐to‐use phenomenological model is here developed describe of corroded elements based on a fiber hinge formulation wherein corrosion‐induced mechanical degradation steel implemented through appropriate constitutive laws at level. The first validated against experimental cyclic tests columns from literature. Then, proposed approach used vulnerability Zappulla multi‐span viaduct (southern Italy), whose (with box‐shaped, two‐cell hollow rectangular cross section) are carbonation chloride‐induced corrosion. A comprehensive in‐situ testing campaign conducted characterization materials piers. Corrosion potential mapping, tensile bars extracted critically interpreted calibrate fiber‐hinge model. Motivated findings, numerical analyses (including linear dynamic, nonlinear static dynamic analyses) performed under two different scenarios quantify impact resulting conditions with bars. characterized low computational cost lends itself large‐scale other existing bridges placed corrosive environment.