The inhibitive effects of electrochemical treatment applied to steel in concrete

Abstract

It has been postulated that the ability of hydrated cement paste to resist a fall in pH at high pH values is one of its most important inhibitive properties, while the most important factor affecting the initiation of corrosion in chloride contaminated concrete is entrapped air voids. Air voids prevent the local formation of a calcium hydroxide rich layer at the steel surface. Such an inhibitive layer minimises the risk of corrosion initiation at relatively high chloride contents (typically 1.5% by weight of cement). This work considers the effectiveness of electrochemical treatment to produce an inhibitive layer at the steel–concrete interface. This method may be applied as a preventative measure to decrease the risk of corrosion initiation resulting from subsequent chloride contamination.