Efectos de la Corrosión en Elementos de Hormigón Pretensado

Abstract

From the decade of the '50 till now a great number of bridges using the technology of prestresssed concrete were built.
As time went by, partial or complete collapses of structures of this kind occurred as a consequence of corrosion under tension in the prestressing steel. The phenomenon is of difficult direct observation and the non destructive methods are at present not efficient enough to detect the problem before the structure suffers serious damage.
A numerical and experimental study of the phenomenon from the structural point of view, is presented in this work. The
effects of corrosion are studied in relation with the mechanical properties of elements under predominant flexural states.
As a consequence, a possible corrosive attack to the prestressing tendons. could be predicted and diagnosed, allowing technological procedures of reparation and reinforcement to be propossed.