A series of experimental tests on reinforced concrete specimens with normal uncoated and epoxy-coated reinforcing bars (ECRBs) was carried out. A comprehensive report of the specimens, from material level to overall performance, is presented in this paper. At the material level, evaluation of the epoxy coating thickness showed that the production quality was not good. Some mechanical properties of bars with a thinner coating were better than those of their uncoated counterparts, while an increase in coating thickness offset the better mechanical properties and decreased the bond strength. Regarding durability, a comparison of the corrosion behaviour of the reinforcing bars and chloride penetration of the concrete cover in unloaded, statically-loaded and fatigue-loaded test specimens showed that higher fatigue loads and longer fatigue loading cycles decreased the corrosion resistance of the bars and increased the chloride penetration. The ultimate loads of the specimens were reduced and comparatively lower values were obtained for beams with bars with thicker coatings. The results of this work highlight the interrelationships among materials performance, durability and ultimate performance to achieve sustainable design for concrete elements with ECRBs in chloride-containing environments.

中文翻译：

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环氧树脂涂层钢筋混凝土梁的耐久性和极限性能

对具有普通未涂层和环氧涂层钢筋 (ECRB) 的钢筋混凝土试件进行了一系列实验测试。本文介绍了从材料水平到整体性能的综合报告。在材料层面，对环氧涂层厚度的评估表明，生产质量不佳。具有较薄涂层的钢筋的某些机械性能优于未涂层的钢筋，而涂层厚度的增加抵消了更好的机械性能并降低了粘合强度。关于耐久性，在卸载时比较钢筋的腐蚀行为和混凝土保护层的氯化物渗透，静态加载和疲劳加载的试样表明，较高的疲劳载荷和较长的疲劳载荷循环会降低钢筋的耐腐蚀性并增加氯化物的渗透。试样的极限载荷降低了，并且对于带有较厚涂层的钢筋的梁获得了相对较低的值。这项工作的结果突出了材料性能、耐久性和最终性能之间的相互关系，以实现在含氯环境中使用 ECRB 实现混凝土构件的可持续设计。