| The bond strength of corrosion-resistant reinforcing bars in concrete members is examined in this thesis. A state-of-the-art review is presented where focus is placed on the physical nature of bond strength in reinforced concrete members and how this varies depending on type of reinforcement, environmental influences and concrete properties. Bond behaviour is examined through various failure states of a beam, from an uncracked concrete section stage up to that at bond failure.; Two methods for testing bond strength are examined. Firstly, pullout testing, and two variations of that method, push-in testing and combined pullout and push-in testing, are described. Secondly, the "beam-end" method for evaluating bond strength is reviewed. The two methods are compared and advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed.; An investigation is described, in which the bond strengths of two types of innovative materials, stainless steel and MMFX steel reinforcing bars, are compared to that of carbon steel reinforcing bars using pull-out testing. It is shown that bond strength varies based on the geometry of the reinforcing bars, with the MMFX steel, which had an exaggerated lug height, having higher bond capacity than either the stainless steel or carbon steel reinforcing bars that had substantially smaller lugs.; A further investigation, in which beam-end tests are used to examine the effects of stirrup confinement, bond length, and concrete cover on the bond strength of stainless steel reinforcing bars is described. It is shown that stirrup configuration and bond length produced no significant influence on bond strength during pull-out failures. However, bond strength appears to decrease exponentially with concrete cover. |
