Rebar corrosion in cracked RC prisms located in harsh marine environment

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the corrosion activity of cracked flexural reinforced concrete elements in a marine environment. Some non-destructive test results of a comprehensive research project are presented and discussed. Corrosion activity of 24 cracked reinforced concrete prisms under sustained loading and 12 uncracked reinforced concrete prisms are assessed using three non-destructive testing methods. The specimens are located in the tidal zone of a field exposure station on the south coast of Iran. The results obtained during 14 months of exposure are presented and discussed in this study. It is found that the corrosion of rebar in the cracked zone initiates shortly after exposure to sea water and declines over the exposure period. Also, the corrosion of steel reinforcement in the cracked zone becomes more severe by increasing crack width/cover ratio. Furthermore, the corrosion current density and electrical resistivity results are more sensitive to the distance between testing point and crack point compared to the half-cell potential results.