Even without the rebar rusting, I think you can still have issues with the steel and concrete having difference thermal expansion properties, particularly for outdoor strucutures where a freeze/thaw cycle is in play.
replyBasically the rebar works itself loose over time and creates micro-fractures in the concrete that then get moisture in them and can cause expansion damage— all without the rebar itself ever rusting or "failing".
Maybe so, OP mentioned they were very similar and that still seems to hold for stainless. How about the aggregates within? The composite makeup can result in different CoTE than the individual aggregates, I think that's one part of concrete sidewalks cracking though, sometimes near shaded/unshaded boundaries. Roman concrete supposedly had some self healing properties before the cracks grew, from the lime inclusions.
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