Influence of migrating inhibitor concentration on corrosion resistance of steel reinforcement in concrete

Abstract

To increase the service life and durability of reinforced concrete structures, new technologies have been developed, such as cathodic protection, re-alkalinization, chloride extraction, and the use of corrosion inhibitors. This study evaluated the influence of cement type, concrete cover thickness, and the addition of organic migrating corrosion inhibitor (MCI) on the corrosion resistance of the embedded steel in concrete against the induced action of chloride ions. To accomplish this, corrosion tests were carried out using electrode potential techniques simultaneously with acceleration cycles of chloride attack. Four mixtures with two levels of reinforcement cover (25 and 40 mm) were subjected to 30 weekly cycles of chemical attack: a reference mixture (without inhibitor) and three others adopting concentration levels of 0.30%, 0.45%, and 0.60% of MCI in the volume of concrete. The concrete properties (compressive strength, voids, specific gravity, and water absorption by immersion and capillarity) were verified. In the corrosion tests on reinforced concrete with lower cover thickness, the mixture with 0.60% MCI addition showed the best results: corrosion potential values less negative than -200 mV, with less than 10% probability of corrosion.