Precast-prestressed concrete (PC) girders are among the most cost-effective type of girders used on highway bridges. Unfortunately, in corrosive environments, corrosion of strands may result in cracking or spalling of concrete, cross-section loss of strands and degradation of material properties, which in turn reduces the load-carrying capacity of PC bridges.
This research presents an in-depth analysis of residual flexural strength of corroded AASHTO Type II pretensioned PC girders with a cast-in-place (CIP) concrete deck. The investigation involved development of a detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model of the pretensioned girder-deck system subjected to corrosion. The FEA model developed for this research considered bond deterioration between corroded strands and surrounding concrete, deterioration of material properties and cross-section loss of corroded strands. The FEA model was verified against experimental data from relevant research studies and showed good agreement. Over three hundred pretensioned concrete girder-deck systems were investigated with the developed FEA model. Several design parameters were considered: 1) span-depth ratio, 2) prestressing reinforcement ratio, 3) corrosion level, 4) number of corroded strands, and 5) corrosion length. Results from the FEA model were used to develop a detailed analytical model to study the residual flexural strength of the girder-deck system. Then, the analytical model was applied to study the impact of those five parameters listed above on the residual flexural strength of investigated girder-deck systems.
It was concluded that corrosion of prestressing strands significantly influenced the failure mode and load-bearing capacity of pretensioned PC girder-deck systems. When corrosion level was lower or equal to 7.5%, the girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete in the compression zone. For a corrosion level higher or equal to 12.5%, the girder-deck system exhibited a rupture failure of prestressing strands. The girder-deck system that was corroded to a mass loss between 7.5% and 12.5% failed either by crushing of the concrete or strand rupture, depending on parameters such as span-depth ratio, prestressing reinforcement ratio, number of corroded strands, and corrosion length.
When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete, the decrease in flexural capacity was affected mainly by the number of corroded strands and corrosion levels. Impacts of corrosion length, span-depth ratio and prestressing reinforcement ratio on the strength reduction were negligible. When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by strand rupture, the impact of corrosion length on the strength reduction should also be considered.
Finally, a simplified practical model has been developed to estimate the residual flexural strength of corroded pretensioned girder-deck systems. The simplified model was tested against the data of analytical and FEA models, and showed good agreement.
","abstract_html":"<p>Precast-prestressed concrete (PC) girders are among the most cost-effective type of girders used on highway bridges. Unfortunately, in corrosive environments, corrosion of strands may result in cracking or spalling of concrete, cross-section loss of strands and degradation of material properties, which in turn reduces the load-carrying capacity of PC bridges. </p> <p>This research presents an in-depth analysis of residual flexural strength of corroded AASHTO Type II pretensioned PC girders with a cast-in-place (CIP) concrete deck. The investigation involved development of a detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model of the pretensioned girder-deck system subjected to corrosion. The FEA model developed for this research considered bond deterioration between corroded strands and surrounding concrete, deterioration of material properties and cross-section loss of corroded strands. The FEA model was verified against experimental data from relevant research studies and showed good agreement. Over three hundred pretensioned concrete girder-deck systems were investigated with the developed FEA model. Several design parameters were considered: 1) span-depth ratio, 2) prestressing reinforcement ratio, 3) corrosion level, 4) number of corroded strands, and 5) corrosion length. Results from the FEA model were used to develop a detailed analytical model to study the residual flexural strength of the girder-deck system. Then, the analytical model was applied to study the impact of those five parameters listed above on the residual flexural strength of investigated girder-deck systems. </p> <p>It was concluded that corrosion of prestressing strands significantly influenced the failure mode and load-bearing capacity of pretensioned PC girder-deck systems. When corrosion level was lower or equal to 7.5%, the girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete in the compression zone. For a corrosion level higher or equal to 12.5%, the girder-deck system exhibited a rupture failure of prestressing strands. The girder-deck system that was corroded to a mass loss between 7.5% and 12.5% failed either by crushing of the concrete or strand rupture, depending on parameters such as span-depth ratio, prestressing reinforcement ratio, number of corroded strands, and corrosion length.</p> <p>When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete, the decrease in flexural capacity was affected mainly by the number of corroded strands and corrosion levels. Impacts of corrosion length, span-depth ratio and prestressing reinforcement ratio on the strength reduction were negligible. When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by strand rupture, the impact of corrosion length on the strength reduction should also be considered.</p> <p>Finally, a simplified practical model has been developed to estimate the residual flexural strength of corroded pretensioned girder-deck systems. The simplified model was tested against the data of analytical and FEA models, and showed good agreement.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Yan, Bo"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Civil and Environmental Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Riyad S. Aboutaha"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-05-12T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-05-12T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:55:37Z","subjects":["Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1042","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Riyad S. Aboutaha"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Yan, Bo"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1042"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Precast-prestressed concrete (PC) girders are among the most cost-effective type of girders used on highway bridges. Unfortunately, in corrosive environments, corrosion of strands may result in cracking or spalling of concrete, cross-section loss of strands and degradation of material properties, which in turn reduces the load-carrying capacity of PC bridges.
This research presents an in-depth analysis of residual flexural strength of corroded AASHTO Type II pretensioned PC girders with a cast-in-place (CIP) concrete deck. The investigation involved development of a detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model of the pretensioned girder-deck system subjected to corrosion. The FEA model developed for this research considered bond deterioration between corroded strands and surrounding concrete, deterioration of material properties and cross-section loss of corroded strands. The FEA model was verified against experimental data from relevant research studies and showed good agreement. Over three hundred pretensioned concrete girder-deck systems were investigated with the developed FEA model. Several design parameters were considered: 1) span-depth ratio, 2) prestressing reinforcement ratio, 3) corrosion level, 4) number of corroded strands, and 5) corrosion length. Results from the FEA model were used to develop a detailed analytical model to study the residual flexural strength of the girder-deck system. Then, the analytical model was applied to study the impact of those five parameters listed above on the residual flexural strength of investigated girder-deck systems.
It was concluded that corrosion of prestressing strands significantly influenced the failure mode and load-bearing capacity of pretensioned PC girder-deck systems. When corrosion level was lower or equal to 7.5%, the girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete in the compression zone. For a corrosion level higher or equal to 12.5%, the girder-deck system exhibited a rupture failure of prestressing strands. The girder-deck system that was corroded to a mass loss between 7.5% and 12.5% failed either by crushing of the concrete or strand rupture, depending on parameters such as span-depth ratio, prestressing reinforcement ratio, number of corroded strands, and corrosion length.
When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete, the decrease in flexural capacity was affected mainly by the number of corroded strands and corrosion levels. Impacts of corrosion length, span-depth ratio and prestressing reinforcement ratio on the strength reduction were negligible. When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by strand rupture, the impact of corrosion length on the strength reduction should also be considered.
Finally, a simplified practical model has been developed to estimate the residual flexural strength of corroded pretensioned girder-deck systems. The simplified model was tested against the data of analytical and FEA models, and showed good agreement.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Residual flexural strength of corroded AASHTO TYPE II pretensioned concrete girder-deck system"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Riyad S. Aboutaha"],"dc:creator":["Yan, Bo"],"dc:description.abstract":["Precast-prestressed concrete (PC) girders are among the most cost-effective type of girders used on highway bridges. Unfortunately, in corrosive environments, corrosion of strands may result in cracking or spalling of concrete, cross-section loss of strands and degradation of material properties, which in turn reduces the load-carrying capacity of PC bridges.
This research presents an in-depth analysis of residual flexural strength of corroded AASHTO Type II pretensioned PC girders with a cast-in-place (CIP) concrete deck. The investigation involved development of a detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model of the pretensioned girder-deck system subjected to corrosion. The FEA model developed for this research considered bond deterioration between corroded strands and surrounding concrete, deterioration of material properties and cross-section loss of corroded strands. The FEA model was verified against experimental data from relevant research studies and showed good agreement. Over three hundred pretensioned concrete girder-deck systems were investigated with the developed FEA model. Several design parameters were considered: 1) span-depth ratio, 2) prestressing reinforcement ratio, 3) corrosion level, 4) number of corroded strands, and 5) corrosion length. Results from the FEA model were used to develop a detailed analytical model to study the residual flexural strength of the girder-deck system. Then, the analytical model was applied to study the impact of those five parameters listed above on the residual flexural strength of investigated girder-deck systems.
It was concluded that corrosion of prestressing strands significantly influenced the failure mode and load-bearing capacity of pretensioned PC girder-deck systems. When corrosion level was lower or equal to 7.5%, the girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete in the compression zone. For a corrosion level higher or equal to 12.5%, the girder-deck system exhibited a rupture failure of prestressing strands. The girder-deck system that was corroded to a mass loss between 7.5% and 12.5% failed either by crushing of the concrete or strand rupture, depending on parameters such as span-depth ratio, prestressing reinforcement ratio, number of corroded strands, and corrosion length.
When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by crushing of the concrete, the decrease in flexural capacity was affected mainly by the number of corroded strands and corrosion levels. Impacts of corrosion length, span-depth ratio and prestressing reinforcement ratio on the strength reduction were negligible. When a corroded pretensioned girder-deck system failed by strand rupture, the impact of corrosion length on the strength reduction should also be considered.
Finally, a simplified practical model has been developed to estimate the residual flexural strength of corroded pretensioned girder-deck systems. The simplified model was tested against the data of analytical and FEA models, and showed good agreement.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1042"],"dc:subject":["Engineering"],"dc:title":["Residual flexural strength of corroded AASHTO TYPE II pretensioned concrete girder-deck system"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:55:37Z"}