In this work 144 reinforcing bars of high-ductility steel named B500SD were subjected to an accelerated corrosion treatment and then tested under tension at different loading speeds in order to assess the effect of corrosion on the ductility properties of the rebars. Results showed that the bars with a corrosion level as low as the one reducing the steel mass by 1% gave rise to a significant degradation on the ductility properties when a high loading speed was applied in tensile tests. In that case, the equivalent steel concept is useful to reduce the destabilising effect. Thus, the research significance lies in the assessment of the influence of the loading speed at which the tensile test is performed for the reinforcement bars that largely depends of the ductility criteria used.
Keywords: corrosion; ductility; equivalent steel; mechanical properties; reinforced concrete; tensile strength.