Considering the diffusion process of chloride ion, the mass conservation of steel corrosion and the concrete cover cracking mechanics, taking the corner-located rebar as a research object, the whole process of concrete cover cracking caused by chloride attack was numerically analyzed, by imposing a time-variant non-uniform radial displacement around concrete/steel interface. The distribution of crack development, and the time required for crack occurrence and for cracks to penetrate the concrete cover were obtained. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results in an existing literature, and the rationality of the method was verified. The influences of rebar diameter, concrete cover depth and concrete strength on the concrete cover cracking behaviors and cracking time were discussed. The results show that the concrete cover depth has the greatest influence on the whole cracking process, followed by the rebar diameter. The concrete strength has little effect on the whole cracking process.