CORROSION OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT

IN CONCRETE AND MINIMIZATION

Presented by: Derek Zaccheo,

Steven Kreeley,
and Gary Reiff
PROBLEM STATEMENT

 Corrosion a major issue in

reinforced concrete structures
 Protective coatings on rebar within
concrete matrix
 Chloride attacks, carbonation and
alkaline reserve losses mainly
responsible
 Volume of corrosion products
exceeds volume of steel, creating
tensile stresses
 Tensile stress leads to cracking,
spalling, potential failure of
structure
CORROSION MECHANICS

 Carbonation and/or chloride induced corrosion primary causes

 Both causes are functions of electrochemical processes
C A R B O N AT I O N - I N D U C E D
PROCESS
CHLORIDE-INDUCED
PROCESS
CORROSION MECHANICS (CONT.)

 Carbonation depth w ithin concrete influences amount of resulting

corrosion

 Carbonation Depth Factors:

 Cover Thickness  Cement Composition
 Carbonation Resistivity  Calcium Oxide Content
 Effective CO 2 Diffusion Coefficient  Wetness Time
 CO 2 Binding Capacity  Ambient Temperature
 Curing Condition  Relative Humidity
 Age  Environmental Conditions
 Cement Type  CO 2 Surface Concentration
CORROSION MECHANICS (CONT.)

 Chloride attacks typically in

marine environments
 Carbonation/Chloride
induced corrosion avoided
w ith epoxy coated rebar
 Epoxy Advantage: safeguards
against generalized corrosion
 Epoxy Disadvantage: still
prone to localized corrosion
and microcracking
EFFECTS OF CORROSION

 Reduction of rebar cross section

 Reduction of rebar load capacity
 Increase in volume of corrosion product w ill cause
expansion, cracking , and spalling
CORROSION MITIGATION (MEMORY ALLOYS)

 Memory alloys can be used

as rebar instead of
traditional steel
 Highly resistant to slow ly
occurring corrosion
 Nickel-Titanium alloy (NiTi)
typically used
 Corrosion rate a function
of the metals used in the
alloy
CORROSION MITIGATION (FIBERS)

 Fibers act as a safeguard

betw een the concrete matrix
and the encased rebar
 Typically polypropylene (PP),
polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and
hooked-end steel fiber used
 Responsible for transport of
corrosive elements
 Hooked-end steel fiber w ill
cause corrosion first
 generates localized corrosion
of the fiber itself
CORROSION MITIGATION (CONCRETE COVER)

 Concrete cover refers to minimum distance

from member face to rebar
 More difficult for chloride ions to reach
rebar

 Aided by use of admixtures:

 Cathodic Inhibitors - form insoluble film on cathodic
surfaces (effective)
 Anodic Inhibitors - form insoluble film on anodic surfaces
(more effective)
 Organic Inhibitors - block cathodic AND anodic absorption
reactions from occurring on rebar (most effective)
 NEW AND DEVELOPING CORROSION
CONTROL TECHNIQUES (HYFRC)

 New hybrid fiber reinforced

concrete (HyFRC) delays
cracking up to strains
surpassing those of
conventional steel rebar

 Consistently outperforms
traditional plain/reinforced
concrete

 Can be used w ith traditional

rebar
 NEW AND DEVELOPING CORROSION CONTROL
TECHNIQUES (ADMIXTURES )

 Includes the following:

 Silica fume – counteracts

penetrating chlorides and Ca(OH) 2
 Latex – minimizes pores
 Methylcellulose – similar effects as
silica fume, but not as significant
 Carbon Fibers – decreases electrical
resistivity of concrete (should be
used with silica fume)
 All are easy to use and cost -effective
 NEW AND DEVELOPING CORROSION CONTROL
TECHNIQUES (FRP)

 Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs)

used to mitigate corrosion AFTER
member is affected
 Carbon or glass fibers used:
 Carbon more typical despite
higher initial cost (performs
better)  Manufactured as plates or
w raps to cover
longitudinal/shear
reinforcement
 Wraps most commonly
used to simulate anodes
CURRENT GAPS IN RESEARCH

 Use of environmentally friendly

coatings
 How to measure degradation
and lifespan of rebar coatings

 Industrial know ledge of epoxy

coatings
 How to stop localized
corrosion
 How to replace coatings
RESEARCH PROPOSAL

 Continue research on behavior of

environmentally friendly coatings
in accordance w ith EPA
regulations
 Create models that simulate
coating decay for various
environmental conditions
 Use of NDE testing and improved
versions
 Utilize code to improve lifespan
calculations
 CONCLUSION

 Tw o types of steel reinforcement

corrosion:
 Chloride-induced
 Carbonation-induced
 Epoxy coatings great protective
measure (but potential localized
corrosion)
 Different fibers, memory alloys,
admixtures, and FRPs aid in mitigation
 Corrosion a fundamental key to
determine structural lifespan
 REFERENCES

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