Lecture 2

Repair and Maintenance of Concrete Structures

Corrosion of embedded metal
Embedded and
(Carbonation-induced Metal Corrosion
chloride-induced corrosion)

Uniform corrosion Localized corrosion

Metal Metal

Radhakrishna G. Pillai
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

NPTEL – MOOC Course on Maintenance and Repair of Concrete Structures

Courtesy: Some images are sourced from the internet for demonstration purposes.
Outline of
Module on corrosion of embedded metal

• Significance
• Fundamentals of corrosion
• Carbonation-induced corrosion
• Chloride-induced corrosion
• Different types of steel reinforcement and
precautions to be taken
• Corrosion in prestressed concrete
Recap on corrosion cell

ELECTROLYTE

Passive film

2+ - METAL
Fe ® Fe + 2e
1
O2 + H 2O + 2e- ® 2(OH )-
2
Two major types of corrosion in concrete
structures

• Carbonation-induced corrosion Uniform corrosion

Metal Metal

• Chloride-induced corrosion Localized corrosion

Metal Metal
 Service life of structures exposed to
carbon dioxide

Corrosion-free Initiation phase Propagation phase Repair

phase
starts
Damage level

Maximum allowable damage level here

Clsurface
Cover
KCO2 , m
depth Corrosion
initiation

pHthreshold
Exposure Time

Quantifying the synergistic effects of various parameters on service life

will help select durable material combinations/systems.
Typical locations, where carbonation-induced
corrosion can occur (cont’d.)

60 – 70 % relative humidity
Typical locations, where carbonation-induced
corrosion can occur (cont’d.)

http://travel.paintedstork.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/coonoor_railway_station-150x150.jpg
Mechanisms of carbonation and
carbonation-induced corrosion

CO2 CO2

Ca(OH)2 + CO2 Ca(CO)3 + H2O

Uniform corrosion
Carbonation-induced corrosion

• Initially
– CO2 + H2O è H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
– H2CO3 + Ca(OH)2 è CaCO3 + 2•H2O
• Later, C-S-H will liberate CaO, which will carbonate as
follows.
– H2CO3 + CaO è CaCO3 + H2O
• This leads to a reduced pH
– passive layer is unstable
• This results in active corrosion
of the embedded steel
- Uniform corrosion
Carbonation depth can be assessed using
phenolphthalein indicator

• Severe when the relative humidity is ~ 60 to 70%

This steel is about to start corroding

NOTE: Rebars should NOT be cut while

extracting cores for condition assessment
When sheltered, concrete can experience
faster carbonation than when unsheltered

• Natural Carbonation at 0.04 % CO2

• Humidity and temperature conditions

100 ×100 × 500 mm prisms

Sheltered Unsheltered
 Service life of structures exposed to
chlorides

Corrosion-free Initiation phase Propagation phase Repair

phase
starts
Damage level

Maximum allowable damage level here

Clsurface
Cover
Dchloride , m
depth Corrosion
initiation

Clthreshold
Exposure Time

Quantifying the synergistic effects of various parameters on service life

will help select durable material combinations/systems.
Typical locations, where chloride-induced
corrosion can occur.

• Seawater, marine conditions

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yptpUKVMiUA/TPTYA-vKVMI/AAAAAAAAAFA/-UJBP3VaWbw/s1600/mkss.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZLZqavYGi6AfxsOpeJjYELi7_owNUy7klqsm5HMvAogrMCpnI
Typical locations where chloride-induced
corrosion can occur…

• Air-borne chlorides (structures near and facing sea)

Typical locations where chloride-induced
corrosion can occur…

• A few kilometres away from the sea shore

– Elevated, pedestrian walkway with severe corrosion
– Just a cosmetic covering of tiled floor on top
Typical locations where chloride-induced
corrosion can occur…

• Chemical plant with chloride-rich local environment

Typical locations where chloride-induced
corrosion can occur…

• Use of chloride-rich sand and water can cause

early corrosion (even within 5 years)
Mechanisms of chloride-induced corrosion

Cl - Cl - Cl - Cl -

Flaws in passive layer Multiple corrosion pits

(high chloride content)
Mechanisms of chloride-induced corrosion

FeCl2 + 2H2O ® 2HCl + Fe (OH)2

Concrete
1 O + H O + 2e ® 2OH
- - Fe 2+ + 2Cl - ® FeCl2 2H + + 2 Cl -
2 2 2

2e-
2e- + Fe2+ ¬ Fe

The process is regenerating and instead of spreading along

the bar, corrosion continues at local anodes and deep pits
are formed.
Pitting corrosion on strands and deformed
bars due to chloride attack

• 7-wire strand

• Deformed bar
Chloride threshold of various steels in OPC
systems
Critical Chloride Threshold Value, (lb/yd )

25 15

Critical Chloride Threshold Value, (kg/m )

3

This can change as a function of

20 the cementitious material cover. 12

15 9

10 6

5 3

0
0

3
A706 A615 Microcomposite SS304 SS316

Pillai (2003)
Chloride threshold can be increased by using
bipolar corrosion inhibiting admixtures
O2 H2O Cl-

2+ -
Bipolar inhibitors can prevent Fe ® Fe + 2e
both anodic and cathodic
reactions from happening. 1
O2 + H 2O + 2e- ® 2(OH )-
2
Effect of w/c ratio on performance of
bipolar inhibitor

No change
at high w/c

0% 0.5% 1% 0% 1%

w/c = 0.4 w/c = 0.6

% bwoc : % by weight of cement
Effect of inhibitors on service life

w/b = 0.45
cover depth = 50 mm
Dcl = 8.87E-12 m2/s

The appropriate use of corrosion inhibitors can increase the median

corrosion initiation time by about 2 to 3 times

Karupanasamy and Pillai (2017)

Effects of dosage of inhibitor on compressive
strength must be checked
28-day comp. strength (MPa)

50
45
Amine+Nitrite Inhibitor - A

40

35

30
25
20
No RD-40% RD-20% RD RD+20% RD+40%
inhibitor

Adopting appropriate dosage is very important to

avoid adverse effects on compressive strength and
permeability of concrete
 Effect of dosage of inhibitor on
Water Sorptivity Index (WSI) must be checked
40
Inhibitor A RD -Recommended Dosage
35
Water Sorptivity Index (mm/Ghr)

30
Inhibitor B Inhibitor C
25
WSI
Quality
20 (mm/√hr)
Very Poor

15
> 15 Very poor
Poor
10 - 15 Poor
10 Good
6 - 10 Good

5 Excellent
<6 Excellent

0
Control RD Control RD Control RD I
Mix ID
Dosage of inhibitors influence the durability indices and
should be chosen carefully
Cracks in concrete structures

Baghi (2015)
Cracks in buildings

• Shrinkage cracks in roofs

– Poor mix design and curing practices
• Structural cracks in beams
– Early removal of formworks
Shear and flexural cracks in bridge girders
Shear cracks in prestressed concrete girders
Carbonation along the crack can lead to
accelerated/localized corrosion

Carbon dioxide, chlorides,

oxygen and moisture can
ingress through the cracks
and lead to localized
corrosion at/near the crack tip

Location of
accelerated
corrosion

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dante_Fratta/publication/272418013/figure/fig1/AS:652610365317129@1532605844517/Example-of-concrete-carbonation-
clear-surface-in-a-vertical-crack-46.png
ACI 224R-90 tolerable crack widths
w

Tolerable
Service Condition crack width Cover
(mm) Depth
Dry air, protective 0.41
membrane
Humidity, moist air, soil 0.3
w

De-icing chemicals 0.18

Ensure
Adequate
Seawater and seawater 0.15 Cover
spray; wetting and drying Depth

Water-retaining structures 0.10

ACI 224R-90 Diameter of human hair ~0.1 mm

Summary

• Carbonation reduces the pH of the concrete pore solution

and causes uniform corrosion
– Critical pH threshold for corrosión initiation can be ≈ 9
• Chlorides can cause localized/pitting corrosión
– Critical chloride threshold is a function of both steel and cementitious
system
– Corrosion inhibiting admixtures can enhance the chloride threshold
• Moisture and oxygen are necessary to sustain corrosion
• Cracks can accelerate the ingress of deleterious elements
and cause accelerated/localized corrosion
References

• Li, F., Yuan, Y., and Li, C. (2011), Corrosion propagation of prestressing
steel strands in concrete subject to chloride attack, Construction and
Building Materials, 25, pp. 3878-3885.
• Pillai, R. G. (2003), Electrochemical characterization and time-variant
structural reliability assessment of post-tensioned, segmental concrete
bridges, Ph. D. dissertation, Zachry Dept. of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M
University.
• Karupanasamy, J., and Pillai, R. G. (2017), A short-term test method to
determine the chloride threshold of steel–cementitious systems with
corrosion inhibiting admixtures, Materials and Structures, 5050: 205.
https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-017-1071-1.
• Baghi, H. (2015), Shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams with
SHCC-FRP panels, Ph.D. dissertation, Universidade do Minho Escola de
Engenhari.
• ACI 224R-01, Control of cracks in concrete structures.