Numerical evaluation of the corrosion influence on the cyclic behaviour of RC columns

•Simulation of cyclic behaviour of RC columns with rebar corrosion.•A three-dimensional numerical model is proposed.•The decay laws for the materials and bond properties are defined and accounted for.•Importance of accounting for the buckling phenomena in corroded rebars.•Model calibrated and validated with experimental results available in literature. The corrosion, main cause of degradation in RC structures in non-exceptional conditions, can have also significant effects on the seismic behaviour, leading to dangerous strain localizations and variations of strength distribution and rotation capacity. In this paper, the behaviour of corroded columns under cyclic loads is studied with a three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis, accounting for steel and interface decay and including buckling effects. The model is validated through a comparison with the results of experimental tests developed at the Bergamo University. Finally, a parametric survey is carried out to highlight the main parameters governing the global response.