Experimental investigation into the seismic behavior of squat reinforced concrete walls subjected to acid rain erosion

Acid rain erosion will continuously deteriorate the physical and mechanical properties of materials and finally degrade the seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Nevertheless, the effect of acid deposition on squat RC walls, an important part of lateral force-resisting systems, has not been reported in existing research. Thus, in this paper, an artificial climate simulation method was used to accelerate the acidic attack process on four squat RC wall specimens with an aspect ratio of 1.0. Then quasi-static loading tests were conducted to observe their cyclic behavior under different acid rain spraying cycles (ARSCs). The results show that as ARSCs increase, the degree of degradation of concrete strength and the corrosion weight loss of steel bars have a rising trend, and the bearing capacity and deformation capacity of the squat RC walls deteriorate gradually. Simultaneously, the ratio of shear displacement to total lateral displacement increases, indicating a more noticeable shear failure characteristic with the addition of ARSCs. Moreover, the failure mode shifts from the mixed flexure and diagonal compression mode to the diagonal tension mode with a significant decrease in ductility and energy-dissipation capacity. It is also found that the degradation rate of the shear strength of squat walls under acid rain erosion is larger than that of the flexural strength, which may lead to the transition of failure mode.

Automated summary

The study investigated the impact of acid rain erosion on squat RC walls, an important component of lateral force-resisting systems, using artificial climate simulation and quasi-static loading tests. Results indicated that with increased acid rain spraying cycles, there was a gradual degradation in concrete strength, corrosion of steel bars, deterioration of bearing capacity and deformation capacity of squat RC walls, and a shift in failure mode towards shear failure characteristics. The study also found a significant decrease in ductility and energy-dissipation capacity, with a larger degradation rate of shear strength compared to flexural strength under acid rain erosion.