Corrosion inhibitors in concrete Part II: Effect on chloride threshold values for corrosion of steel in synthetic pore solutions

Abstract

The effectiveness of four commercially available corrosion inhibitors for use in cement-based materials was assessed in synthetic concrete pore solution containing chlorides. The effect of the surface topography of the sample and the composition of the pore solution was also assessed. Although in a parallel study the inhibitors were observed to delay the onset of corrosion, in these tests in pore solution they were found to be ineffective in increasing the chloride threshold value of reinforcing steel exposed to chlorides and had little influence on the progression of corrosion once initiated. This suggests that chemical reactions within the cement phase are responsible for the observed results. Metallographically polished samples proved the most resistant to corrosion regardless of electrolyte composition and samples with all surface finishes exhibited lower resistance in solutions containing only calcium hydroxide than in the higher pH synthetic concrete pore solutions.