50

th
ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, Safer, Smarter & Greener
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

66


ASSESSMENT OF REINFORCEMENT CORROSION IN FULLY
CARBONATED CONCRETE THROUGH HALF-CELL POTENTIAL
TECHNIQUE: INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF
CONCRETE SURFACE PRE-WETTING

Ronaldo S. Gallardo and Perlie F. Bohol

ABSTRACT: The corrosion of reinforcement is one of the major causes of pre-mature
deterioration of reinforced concrete structures. In a tropical country like the Philippines, the
cyclic wetting and drying climatic condition favors corrosion induced by carbonation. The half-
cell potential (HCP) technique is a simple, cost-effective and rapid tool for locating corroding
rebars and assessing the corrosion risk of concrete structures. This study reports the results of
half-cell potential measurements obtained on the service life of reinforced concrete columns,
which are fully carbonated and contaminated with chloride ions. Corrosion predictions from
HCP data obtained at four different levels of wetness of concrete surface: (1) dry; (2) minimally
wet; (3) thoroughly wet; and (4) after 2 hours drying of thoroughly wet concrete, were
compared with the actual corrosion revealed from the direct visual inspection of reinforcements.
Results showed that HCP measurement is most effective when performed on minimally wetted
concrete surface. At minimally wetted concrete surface condition, 7 out of 9 severely corroded
rebars were detected and two of the most corroded columns have been identified through the
potential difference technique and statistical evaluation of HCP data. The HCP technique is
fairly reliable in assessing the corrosion of reinforcements in fully carbonated concrete. But a
more reliable corrosion prediction can be attained if HCP data is complemented with
carbonation depth measurements.

KEYWORDS: corrosion; carbonation, half-cell potential

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Steel reinforced concrete is a durable and widely used material in civil engineering structures.
Although known to be durable, when exposed in aggressive environment will undergo premature
deterioration, which eventually results to shortened service life. One of the major causes of
deterioration in concrete structures is the corrosion of steel reinforcement. This problem is
recognized worldwide and has been a topic of major importance since the past decades. The
problem with corrosion of steel in concrete structures is the damage cannot be recognized until
visible signs of cracking, spalling or rust staining are evident. By the time these corrosion signs
manifested on the concrete surface, the damage is already significant and it may be too late to
prevent the damage growth. The dissolution of steel bars poses serious hazard to public safety. In
addition, the repair or rehabilitation seems to be uneconomical as it exceeds the original
construction cost. And not to forget the traffic and work disruptions the repair works could
cause. This suggests that corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC) structures should be detected and
monitored before any corrosion signs become apparent to be able to carry out applicable repair
strategies, cut high repair costs, and therefore extend its service life. It is then highly desirable to
carry out corrosion monitoring procedures, especially in environments of high aggressivity like
50
th
ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, Safer, Smarter & Greener
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

67
in the Philippines, where the wet and dry cycles seems to favor the corrosion process. One of the
non-destructive techniques in monitoring the corrosion in RCS is the half-cell potential or open
circuit potential method. The half-cell potential (HCP) test is universally adopted in the condition
surveys of RC structures due to its simplicity, cost effectiveness and quick diagnosis of
reinforcement corrosion. In this method, the measurement of the potential difference between a
reference electrode and the reinforcing bar allows the estimation of the probability of
reinforcement corrosion. HCP method is carried out to locate corroding zones where further
destructive tests will be performed. However, the method cannot provide the degree or the
quantitative rate of corrosion. Half-cell potential technique has been widely used and a large
number of field experiences have proven its reliability, specifically in concrete structures
subjected to chloride attack. This has led to its standardization as ASTM C876: Standard Test
Method for Half-Cell Potentials of Uncoated Reinforcing Steel in Concrete. However, the
reliability of the half-cell potential technique has been questioned in cases of corrosion induced
by carbonation. According to The International Union of Laboratories and Experts in
Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM, from the name in French), detection of
corroding zones in carbonated concrete is difficult because of its high resistivity. The high
resistivity of carbonated concrete is masking the corroding areas with less negative potential
values, and in some cases, positive values resulting to the same or close potential readings
between the corroding and non-corroding zones which eventually lead to incorrect corrosion
prediction and to inadequate conclusions. Practical applications of HCP on carbonated concrete
as reported in the literature have shown that adopting the ASTM C876 fixed potential criteria can
lead to incorrect corrosion prediction. The ASTM C876-91 itself restricts the use of its fixed
potential criteria in evaluating the corrosion condition of reinforcing steel in concrete where
concrete cover is fully carbonated, unless either experience or destructive examination of some
areas, or both, imply its applicability. Some studies have shown that wetting of concrete surface
can reduce the resistivity of concrete and may help reveal the corroding areas, but this has been
studied in chloride-contaminated concrete. ASTM, RILEM and other authors do recommend the
pre-wetting of concrete surface but do not explain how it will influence the HCP measurements
and how it will help achieve reliable corrosion predictions. To the knowledge of the author, there
is no study conducted in the past that investigated if pre-wetting of concrete surface can help
unmask the corroding areas in fully carbonated concrete. This study reports a practical
application of half-cell potential technique on existing RC columns of a fence located in Quezon
City. This study presents the experience with half-cell potential technique in identifying the most
corroded column member and in locating the corroding areas on RC columns, which are fully
carbonated and contaminated with chloride ions. Concurrently, an investigation of the influence
of concrete surface pre-wetting on the fluctuation of half-cell potentials as well as on the
alteration of HCP result interpretation is presented. Moreover, the reliability of HCP technique
was verified and its limitations were discussed.

1.2 Significance of the Study

Resistivity is sensitive to the moisture content of concrete. Some studies have shown that wetting
of concrete surface can reduce the resistivity of thick concrete cover and can help obtain
effective HCP readings on concrete contaminated with chloride ions. Wetting of concrete surface
can also reduce the high resistivity of carbonated concrete. Better understanding of the effect of
concrete surface pre-wetting is essential in identifying the ideal concrete surface condition for
50
th
ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, Safer, Smarter & Greener
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

68
effective HCP measurements. Effective HCP measurements would lead to corrosion prediction
that is close to the actual corrosion of the structure being investigated, hence, a correct and
accurate corrosion prediction. The additional experience and evidence of this study will provide
baseline information to engineers towards improved application of half-cell potential technique
and more reliable evaluation of reinforcement corrosion on concrete structure, which are fully
carbonated and contaminated with chloride ions. Verifying the applicability and reliability of
half-cell potential technique in fully carbonated concrete structures will pave the way to its
extensive application in the country and will stimulate further studies for the development of
HCP evaluation criteria suitable for fully carbonated concrete.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main goals of this study are to investigate on the influence of concrete surface pre-wetting
on the fluctuation of half-cell potential values and on the alteration of HCP result interpretation;
and to verify the reliability of half-cell potential method in detecting the corroding zones in
concrete structure which are fully carbonated and contaminated with chloride ions. The specific
objectives are:

a. To investigate how the half-cell potential values of passive and actively corroding zones will
fluctuate at minimal and thorough pre-wetting of concrete surface

b. To examine how the shift in potentials caused by concrete surface pre-wetting will change the
results interpretation deduced from statistical analysis and potential difference technique

c. To compare the corrosion prediction formulated from HCP data and the actual state of
reinforcement corrosion

d. To verify the applicability of the ASTM C876 fixed potential criteria in evaluating the
corrosion risk of steel reinforcements and locating the corroding zones on carbonated concrete
structure

e. To explore the relationship between half-cell potential and carbonation depth Section
headings, subsection headings and subheadings should be flushed left.

2.0 THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

2.1 Considerations and Framework

Corroding areas on RC structures are difficult to detect due to the existence of highly resistive
layers [RILEM TC154, Gu & Beaudoin, 1998] resulting from the densification of concrete pore
structure caused by carbonation [Chang et al., 2004; Chi et al., 2002 and Yeih & Chang, 2005].
The high resistivity of carbonated concrete can mask the corroding areas [Elsener & Bohni,
1990] by showing less negative potentials of actively corroding zones that is similar or close to
the potentials of passive zones [RILEM TC154]. The presence of high resistance surface layer
can enhance the effect of concrete cover depth [Elsener & Bohni,1990]. As the concrete cover
depth increases the potential difference between the passive and actively corroding zones
decreases [Elsener & Bohni, 1990 and Ouglova et al., 2005]; and this can make the identification
50
th
ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, Safer, Smarter & Greener
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

69
of corroding zones difficult. The dense pore structure may restrict the rate of oxygen diffusion
into concrete [Baccay et al., 2006; and Song & Kwon,2007]. Oxygen depletion in the concrete
cover caused by fully saturated concrete pores can shift the potentials to more negative values
[Qian et al., 2003] but this very negative potential reading may not be necessarily associated with
high probability of reinforcement corrosion [Gu & Beaudoin, 1998]. Hence, it is possible to
obtain a very negative potential reading on anon-corroding area due to oxygen starvation. The
influence of concrete cover depth, concrete electrical resistance and oxygen availability in the
case of carbonated concrete is significant to cause the fluctuation of potential values away from
its true corrosion potential. Thus, corroding areas in fully carbonated concrete may be masked
and therefore would be difficult to detect.

Concrete having potential range from +100 to -600 mV CSE [RILEM TC154].ASTMs numeric
magnitude technique cannot be used to evaluate the corrosion risk of carbonated concrete not
only for the reason that it (fixed potential criteria) was empirically derived from chloride-induced
corrosion cases but also on the fact that potentials obtained on concrete surface may be
significantly influenced by various factors as highlighted by different authors (Gu & Beaudoin,
1998; Qian et al., 2003; Elsener & Bohni,1990; Ouglova et al., 2005; Assouli et al., 2008; and
Nakamura et al., 2008). Moreover, ASTM C876-91 itself does restrict the use of its numeric
magnitude technique in evaluating the corrosion condition of steel reinforcements in fully
carbonated concrete, unless experience and/or destructive examination of some areas have
implied its applicability. Hence, it is obvious that a fixed potential value for the evaluation of
half-cell potential data is not always applicable and may lead to incorrect corrosion prediction.

Theoretical considerations and practical experience on a large number of structures have shown
that the results of HCP measurements on existing structures need careful interpretation [RILEM
TC 154; Elsener, 2001; and Qian et al., 2003]. Different recommendations for sound HCP data
analysis are available in the literature. Some (Poupard,2006; Nakamura et al., 2008, ASTM C87-
91 and RILEM TC 154) suggest the use of potential difference technique i.e. gradient in the
potential field, which is more reliable than the numeric magnitude technique in locating the
corroding areas [Carino, 1999]. While others (RILEM TC 154 and Gulikers, 2008) recommend a
statistical evaluation of HCP data which allows the comparison of corrosion risk among the same
structural members and permits the derivation of fixed potential criteria for corrosion risk
assessment of a particular structure at a given environment.

REFERENCES

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Author One is a full time faculty and the chairman of the Civil Engineering Department of De La Salle
University . He may be contacted at DLSU, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila. Tel. 524-4611 local 203 and fax
no. 521-1609. E-mail: ronaldo.gallardo@dlsu.edu..ph.

Author Two obtained his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the De La Salle University ,
Philippines in 2011 E-mail perliebohol@gmail.com




50
th
ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, Safer, Smarter & Greener
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

70
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The equipment and methodology used in the measurement of carbonation were through the guidance and
sponsorship of Prof. Nobuaki Otsuki, a professor and concrete technology and materials expert from
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.