Chapter 9 - Galvanized Steel Reinforcement in Concrete: A Consultant's Perspective

Abstract

This chapter presents a consultant's perspective on galvanized steel reinforcement in concrete. As noted through this book, reinforcement corrosion is a worldwide, multibillion dollar phenomenon. Some of the costs are discussed in more detail in the recent US study on the costs of corrosion. Chapter one summarizes the corrosion problem of steel in concrete and points to the coating of reinforcing steel as a way of mitigating this huge worldwide problem. This chapter discusses the design for durability of a reinforced concrete structure. When a reinforced concrete structure is designed, the issue of durability, life-cycle costing and overall life is frequently relegated to following the relevant codes and choosing the lowest bid from the tendering contractors. At present, most national design codes take a “deemed to satisfy” approach, whereby decisions on materials and fabrication details are determined from a table in which the aggressiveness of the proposed environment is compared to the required concrete compression strength and a minimum recommended cover to the reinforcement. The chapter also presents the performance of galvanized reinforcement and the durability in Carbonated and Chloride-Contaminated Concrete.