This study examines the impact of reinforcement deterioration on the structural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) culverts under static loading conditions, with a focus on damage patterns and load-displacement responses. Deterioration significantly impacts the longevity and safety of concrete structures, especially in adverse environmental conditions. An experimental investigation was conducted on eight RC culverts of circular and rectangular shapes with variations in reinforcing bar type and reinforcement continuity. Finite Element Modelling (FEM) using ABAQUS was also employed to simulate the structural response of jointed and disjointed culverts under static loads. The findings reveal a significant reduction in load-bearing capacity and ductility in disjointed reinforced culverts, with FEM results having an average correlation of 82% with experimental results. For culverts reinforced with jointed steel bars, the highest-performing was the rectangular jointed steel (RJS) culvert, which had an initial crack load of 15kN in the experimental test, compared to 12kN predicted by the FEM analysis. The lowest-performing jointed culvert was the circular jointed steel (CJS), with experimental and FEM results of 7kN and 9kN, respectively. Among the disjointed reinforced culverts, the circular disjointed mesh (CDM) exhibited the lowest performance, with initial crack loads of 7kN experimentally and 8kN from FEM simulation. The highest-performing disjointed reinforced culvert was the circular disjointed steel (CDS), achieving 11kN in both experimental and FEM results. These findings underscore the detrimental effect of reinforcement deterioration and highlight the importance of proactive inspection and reinforcement retrofitting to ensure structural integrity and extend the lifespan of culverts.
