Abstract
The objective of this paper is to discuss the meaning of cumulative corrosion rate (iCCR) of reinforced concrete in a tropical marine microclimate of the Yucatan Peninsula identifying four stages that correspond to passivation, beginning of depassivation, breakdown and formation of subsequent corrosion layers, and nucleation and development of cracks. Sixty Portland cement concrete cylinders were exposed in a tropical marine environment at 50 m from the seashore. One-half of the samples had a reinforcing bar embedded at the center of the sample (corrosion measurements) and the other half was made with plain concrete (chloride measurements). Five water/cement (w/c) ratios and three times of curing (CT) were tested representing the common practices of this region. The corrosion rate was monitored using the linear polarization resistance technique (Rp) which enables calculating the apparent and cumulative corrosion rate. Representative results indicated thatiCCRwas effective not only to detect the beginning and duration of the reported stages but also to find the right influence of CT and w/c ratios on the corrosion performance of reinforced concrete.
Highlights
Corrosion of reinforcing steel is one of the most important causes of reinforced concrete structures degradation [1,2,3]
In the case of structures exposed in a marine environment, chloride ions are deposited on the surface of the concrete and penetrate until they reach the surface of the reinforcing steel, causing the breakdown of the passive layer [5]
The objective of this paper is, to discuss the electrochemical meaning of iCCR behavior of reinforced concrete exposed for about five years in a tropical marine environment
Summary
Corrosion of reinforcing steel is one of the most important causes of reinforced concrete structures degradation [1,2,3]. The humidity, rainfall, and different concentrations of sea chloride ions in the environment enhance its deposition on the concrete surface and the degradation rate significantly depends on the seashore distance [4]. In the case of structures exposed in a marine environment, chloride ions are deposited on the surface of the concrete and penetrate until they reach the surface of the reinforcing steel, causing the breakdown of the passive layer [5]. Once reinforcing bar corrosion take place, corrosion products start to build up around the reinforcing bar, causing volumetric expansions that will result in concrete cover cracking after subsequent breakdown and formation of corrosion layers [6,7,8]. Apparent corrosion rate (iapp) obtained through Rp has been possibly the most useful technique to obtain information about depassivation of steel and propagation of corrosion
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