Carbonation of concrete is known to reduce the hydroxide concentration in the pore

solution, destroying the passivity of the embedded reinforcement bars. Several

reports have been devoted to the deterioration of carbonated concrete. However, few
studies discuss the effect of crack opening on the ingress of carbon dioxide. Cracks
arise during all stages of the life of a concrete structure and they can act as preferential
channels for the penetration of different types of potentially aggressive agents such
as liquids, ions, and gases.
Steel reinforced concrete is a composite material combining the compression strength
ofconcrete and the high tensile properties of reinforcement steel and has a wide range
of applications in structural engineering. Corrosion of the reinforcing steel is the main
pathology affecting reinforced concrete structures and is a determining factor for their
durability. Concrete plays a protective role against reinforcement corrosion. Indeed,
the alkalinity of the concrete pore solution ensures to the steel rebars a passive state
in which the corrosion rate is negligible. Additionally, the concrete cover acts as a
barrier for aggressive agents and delays their time of arrival to the rebar. However,
this protection may be weakened by the presence of cracks in the concrete. Cracks are
unavoidable because of the low tensile strength of concrete. They can occur as a result
of shrinkage, loads, deformations, etc.
However, independently from their origin, the presence of cracks compromises the
protective characteristics of the concrete cover by changing the permeability of the
materials in the cracked zone. Indeed, various substances such as carbon dioxide,
chloride, moisture and oxygen can therefore reach the rebar through the cracks much
faster than through the pore system of the concrete cover. Consequently, a marked
increase in the corrosion initiation rate takes place in the cracked areas.
The propagation phase of chloride-induced corrosion along reinforcement steel
intercepting cracked concrete is widely studied in the literature while the propagation
of carbonation induced corrosion is still a subject of debate. Both laboratory studies
and in situ observations have noted earlier corrosion initiation in cracked concrete
structures.
Load-induced cracking is accompanied by interfacial slipping and separation between
concrete and steel. It has also been shown that both chloride- and carbonation-
induced corrosion start and develop for a few millimeters around the rebar at its
interception with the preexisting crack. While there is a general consensus in the
scientific community on the deleterious effects of cracks and steel/mortar interface
quality on the initiation of reinforcement corrosion, the effects of such phenomena on
the propagation of reinforcement corrosion in precracked concrete by carbonation are
still open to debate.
The propagation of corrosion may be dependent from several factors:

 Crack direction with respect to the rebar: the corrosion process is different in
cracks perpendicular to the reinforcement and in cracks parallel to the
reinforcement.
 Crack width which may be a conditioning factor for the accessibility of
aggressive agents to the rebar.
 Dimension of the slip zone (i.e. damaged zone) induced by the mechanical
loading along the steel/concrete interface surrounding the mechanical crack.
 Location of the rebar in the structure which could impact the steel/concrete
quality.
 Environmental factors such as temperature, rain duration, etc.
Concerning the consequence of this propagation phase, two hypotheses shall
be examined:
 Corrosion will be stopped after a certain time due to the repassivation of steel
induced by the corrosion products that may seal the crack. This is supposed
since all the structures are cracked and continue to function acceptably for a
long periods of time.
 The expansive action of corrosion products may induces corrosion cracking.
The latter cracks start at the rebar and reach the outer surface of the concrete
cover. They are generally parallel to the rebar. Therefore, these corrosion
cracks allow a direct access for aggressive agents, water, and oxygen to
reinforcement which leads to an atmospheric corrosion process. The
consequence of this phenomenon is the reduction in the adhesion between
concrete and steel and a probable delamination of concrete which will threaten
the durability of structures in advance stages. The main objective of this study
is to identify the carbonation-induced corrosion initiation and propagation in
cracked concrete under different conditions