ACI 364.

10T-14
TechNote

Rehabilitation of Structure with Reinforcement

Section Loss
Keywords: concrete cover; corrosion; load-carrying capacity; rehabilitation; reinforcement; repair.

Introduction
Integrity of reinforcement is fundamental to the strength, ductility, and safety of reinforced concrete structures.
Determining the necessity of additional or replacement reinforcement is a primary concern in rehabilitation projects
containing corrosion of reinforcing steel.

Question
How should an engineer address exposed and corroded rein-
forcement when repairing a conventionally reinforced concrete
structure (Fig. 1), and should there be a concern if the loss of
reinforcement is less than 10 percent of the cross-sectional area?

Answer
After determining the condition of the reinforcement, remove
unsound concrete, clean reinforcement, and provide additional
reinforcement as needed. The structural consequences of a 10
percent cross-sectional area loss due to corrosion are usually
minor for nonprestressed concrete components because there
are usually redundancies in design.

Discussion
Fig. 1—Example of severe reinforcing steel deterioration due
Begin by identifying the source, extent and level of activity of to corrosion in a reinforced concrete beam (courtesy of the
Ministry of Transportation of Quebec).
reinforcement corrosion (ICRI No. 310.1R; ACI 364.6T), and deter-
mining the overall condition and cross-sectional area of the affected reinforcing steel. Remove all unsound concrete;
undercut the exposed corroded bars to provide clearance for under-bar cleaning and full bar embedment in the repair
material; and secure the repair structurally, so as to ensure the required load-carrying capacity is achieved (Fig. 2). The
clear space behind the reinforcing steel should be greater than 1/4 in. (6 mm), plus the dimension of the maximum-sized
aggregate in the repair material (ACI 364.6T). Generally, a 3/4 to 1 in. (20 to 25 mm) gap is required to inspect and clean
the bar. Place the repair material and encapsulate the bar with it.
Clean the reinforcement by means of wire brushing, sandblasting, shot-blasting, or water-blasting. Do not use solvents
as they can penetrate the concrete, which may create a poor bond surface for repair materials. If the reinforcing bars
are epoxy-coated, the epoxy in the area surrounding the exposed corrosion should be removed and the bar cleaned.
Measure the cross section. Use calipers to measure the reduced diameter of the reinforcing steel. If the loss of cross-
sectional area is greater than 10 percent, additional (supplemental) reinforcement may be required (Fig. 3). If corro-
sion pits with depths greater than 25 percent of the bar diameter are observed, additional reinforcement could also be
required.
The structural consequences of a 10 percent cross-section area loss due to corrosion are usually minor for nonpre-
stressed concrete components because of redundancies in design, as discussed in items (a) through (c) as follows. In
practice, there is usually no concern with less than 10 percent loss of cross-sectional area.
(a) Reinforcement reserve—Steel reinforcement used in construction is typically larger than required by structural
considerations. Extra steel is attributed to varying practical design requirements such as bar layout and spacing. Five
to 10 percent more steel area is typically provided than is required by analysis.
(b) Corrosion location—Corrosion damage is often uneven throughout the member length and frequently may be at

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Fig. 2—ICRI recommendations for cleaning and undercutting of reinforcing steel prior to repair (ICRI No. 310.1R).

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a location most distant from the crit-
ical design locations for maximum
moments or maximum shear. In this
case, evaluate the remaining area of
reinforcement by calculating moment
and shear at the affected sections.
(c) ACI code provisions—Provi-
sions of Chapter 20 of ACI 318-11
may be used to modify the strength-
reduction factor when the actual
dimensions and material proper-
ties have been determined through
measurements and testing. Moment
redistribution provisions (ACI 318-11,
Section 8.4) may be used to consider
inelastic effects that may reduce
the required capacity at the section
Fig. 3—Repair of reinforcing steel due to loss of section where the loss of section is greater
under consideration. than 10 percent (ICRI No. 310.1R).
Where a loss of 10 percent or more
has been identified, check the orig-
inal design to determine if the remaining reinforcement is adequate. Also, confirm the absence of design errors and that
structure use remains the same.
If additional or replacement reinforcement is required, a new reinforcing bar may be lap spliced to the existing bar(s).
Lap length is determined in accordance with ACI 318. Additional concrete removal may be necessary to properly splice
the new steel reinforcing bar. Mechanical or welded splices that follow code provisions could also be used. Welding
should conform to ANSI/AWS D1.4. Verify the structure’s ability to carry construction loads during bar replacement or
reinforcement. If mechanical splices are used, it may be necessary to shore the section before cutting the reinforcement
to install a mechanical splice.
After placing the new reinforcement, place the repair material where concrete was removed. The repair material
should be compatible dimensionally; permeability-wise; chemically; electrochemically; and, if required, aesthetically
with the existing concrete.
If additional reinforcement is required, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars and strips may be considered as an alter-
native to placement of new steel reinforcing bars. ACI 440R discusses the use of FRP reinforcement. If FRP is used, fire
code issues, softening of epoxy adhesive at 120 to 140°F (49 to 60°C), ductility, and other parameters should be carefully
evaluated.
Although concrete normally provides reinforcement with excellent corrosion protection, corrosion is possible. For
example, when the concrete fails to resist the ingress of corrosion-causing substances, if the structure was improperly
designed for the service environment, where the environment was not as anticipated, or changes occurred during the
service life of the structure. Mixture characteristics of the concrete, proper placement and curing, thickness of concrete
cover over the reinforcing steel, crack-control measures, and implementation of measures designed specifically for
corrosion protection are factors that help control the onset and rate of corrosion. Refer to ACI 222R for further discus-
sion on the causes and prevention of reinforcement corrosion in concrete.

Summary
The loss of reinforcement section at less than 10 percent is generally accepted, provided the engineer is satisfied that
the original design is adequate and no changes of use or demand issues have occurred (for example, changes in applied
loads or environmental exposure). Understand the corrosion cause (for example, chloride exposure), to determine if the
corrosion activity has slowed or stopped and to establish a timeframe for the corrosion deterioration process (ICRI No.
310.1R; ACI 364.6T). Generally, however, this answer cannot be applied to prestressing reinforcement.

References
Committee documents are listed first by document number and year of publication followed by authored documents
listed alphabetically.

American Concrete Institute

ACI 222R-01—Protection of Metals in Concrete against Corrosion (Reapproved 2010)
ACI 318-11—Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary
ACI 364.6T-02—Tech-Note: Concrete Removal in Repairs Involving Corroded Reinforcing Steel (Reapproved 2011)
ACI 440R-07—Report on Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Reinforcement for Concrete Structures
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 American Welding Society
ANSI/AWS D1.4-11—Structural Welding Code–Reinforced Steel

International Concrete Repair Institute

No. 310.1R-2008—Guide for Surface Preparation for the Repair of Deteriorated Concrete Resulting from Reinforcing
Steel Corrosion (formerly No. 03730)

Reported by Committee 364

Fred R. Goodwin, Chair James H. Loper, Secretary

Randal M. Beard Charles J. Hookham David A. VanOcker

Benoit Bissonnette Lawrence F. Kahn Alexander M. Vaysburd
Christopher D. Brown Ashok M. Kakade Kurt F. von Fay
Douglas Burke Dov Kaminetzky James Warner
Ryan Alexander Carris James M. Kasper Patrick M. Watson
Bruce A. Collins Keith E. Kesner David W. Whitmore
Brian Lee Cope Erick N. Larson
Boris Dragunsky Marjorie M. Lynch Consulting Members
Peter Emmons Pritpal S. Mangat Robert V. Gevecker
Paul E. Gaudette Surendra K. Manjrekar Stephen A. Johanson
Timothy R. W. Gillespie James E. McDonald Emroy L. Kemp
Zareh B. Gregorian William R. Nash Howard H. Newlon, Jr.
Pawan R. Gupta Jay H. Paul Weilan Song
John L. Hausfeld K. Nam Shiu Dela Tharmabala
Ron Heffron Thomas E. Spencer Robert Tracy
Robert L. Henry John A. Tanner William F. Wescott
Kal R. Hindo Valery Tokar

ACI TechNotes are intended for reference for the design and construction of concrete structures. This document is intended for the use of indi-
viduals who are competent to evaluate the significance and limitations of its content and who will accept responsibility for the application of the
information it contains. The American Concrete Institute disclaims any and all responsibility for the accuracy of the content and shall not be liable
for any loss or damage arising therefrom. Reference to this document shall not be made in contract documents.

ACI 364.10T-14 was adopted and published July 2014.

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