Influence of flexural loading on chloride ingress in concrete subjected to cyclic drying-wetting condition

Chloride ingress implies a complex interaction between physical and chemical process, in which heat, moisture and chloride ions transport through concrete cover. Meanwhile, reinforced concrete structure itself undergoes evolution due to variation in temperature, relative humidity and creep effects, which can potentially change the deformation and trigger some micro-cracks in concrete. In addition, all of these process show time-dependent performance with complex interaction between structures and environments. In the present work, a time-dependent behavior of chloride transport in reinforced concrete beam subjected to flexural load is proposed based on the well-known section fiber model. The strain state varies because of stress redistribution caused by the interaction between environment and structure, mainly dominated by thermal stresses and shrinkage stress and creep. Finally, in order to clear the influence of strain state on the chloride diffusivity, experiment test were carried out and a power function used to describe this influence is proposed.