Investigating the Effect of Repeated High Water Pressure on the Compressive and Bond Strength of Concrete with/without Steel Bar

The application of reinforced concrete for permanent and temporary deep ocean structures has recently become more prevalent; however, the static and dynamic effects of high water pressure on concrete remain unexplored. This paper investigates the influence of high water pressure (60 MPa) on four series of concrete cylinders with and without an embedded steel bar under sustained and cyclic loading conditions. The residual compressive strength, bond strength, and associated evolution of surface and internal damage are evaluated after exposing concrete cylinders to a water pressure of 60 MPa. The first series is exposed to sustained water pressure for 7 and 60 days, while the other series is tested under repeated water pressure for 10, 20, 30, 60, and 150 cycles. The results reveal that residual compressive strength falls immediately by 16% within 7 days of sustained high water pressure, but the strength then remains stable up to 60 days. Under repeated high water pressure, residual compressive strength gradually reduces by up to 40% until 60 cycles, after which it remains reasonably stable until 150 cycles as crack propagation is arrested at a certain depth within the concrete cylinders. The bond strength between the steel bar and matrix is observed to decrease considerably under repeated cycles of 60 MPa water pressure up to 26%. The damage gradually propagates at the matrix/steel bar interface under the repeated water pressure, resulting in a reduction in residual pullout capacity.

Automated summary

The study found that under sustained 60 MPa high water pressure, the residual compressive strength of concrete immediately decreases by 16% within 7 days, then remains stable up to 60 days. Under repeated high water pressure, the residual compressive strength gradually reduces by up to 40% until 60 cycles, then remains reasonably stable until 150 cycles. The bond strength between the steel bar and matrix decreases considerably under repeated cycles of 60 MPa water pressure, up to 26%.