Corrosion of Reinforcement

in Concrete
Deterioration Mechanism in Concrete
Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Phenomena of Reinforcing bars
• Flow chart for decision making of corrosion detection
• Visual Examination
• Non destructive tests
• Lab tests
Introduction
• Concrete normally provides excellent protection to reinforcing steel.
• Notwithstanding this, a large number of cases have been reported in
which corrosion of reinforcement has caused damage to concrete
structures within a few years from the time of construction.
• Corrosion of the reinforcement weakens the structure and makes its
appearance unsightly while spalling of concrete from an elevated
structure is a hazard.
Introduction
• Corrosion of Reinforced Concrete occurs in a variety of different types
of structure notably in marine structures, building facades, car parks
and bridge decks.
• It is important to take necessary steps to avoid the circumstances
which lead to corrosion.
• It is widely thought that the steel reinforcement will be protected
against corrosion providing the concrete cover is sufficiently thick and
dense.
Introduction
• Penetration of moisture into reinforced concrete components
promotes corrosion process and further damages the concrete cover.
• Repair of Reinforced concrete resulting from corrosion are both
expensive to carry out and sometimes of doubtful effectiveness.
• One of the most difficult problems in repairing a reinforced concrete
element is to handle corrosion damage
Corrosion of Reinforcing bars
• Steel reinforcement in concrete is protected from corrosion by a
combination of
1. The formation of a passivating protective layer on steel surface due to
chemical reaction under highly alkaline environment and
2. The environment protection provided by the concrete cover
• The two common conditions that lead to loss of passitivity of steel in
concrete are:
1. Reduction of alkalinity surrounding the steel lower than 11-11.5
2. Presence of chemicals (e.g. chloride ions), which destroy the passitivity
even while the alkalinity of surrounding concrete remains high.
Phenomena for steel protection
The concrete cover protects steel reinforcement against corrosion by a
number of physical and chemical phenomena:
• It provides a physical barrier to the penetration of moisture,
containing dissolved salts, carbon dioxide and oxygen
• It provides a chemical barrier to the ingress of acidic substances such
as carbon dioxide and Sulphur
• The passage of electrolytic currents is limited by the low electrical
conductivity of concrete
• The Corrosion of reinforced concrete
results in three main types of deformation
namely: Cracking, Scaling and Spalling. This
type of damage occurs following a
significant level of rebar corrosion.
• Corrosion in simplest systems is relatively
complex but it becomes extreme in case of
Concrete structures.
• We will describe some methods used to
predict, detect and measure the corrosion
of reinforcement in reinforced structures
A summary of the decision making process for investigating
and assessing corrosion in reinforced concrete
A summary of the decision making process for investigating
and assessing corrosion in reinforced concrete
Visual Examination of Concrete Surface
There are a number of visible factors which can provide a useful guide
as to weather corrosion is occurring or the probability of corrosion.
The main phenomenon resulting from or leading to corrosion of
reinforcement which can be observed at the concrete surface are:
• Rust staining
• Scaling
• Cracking
• Spalling
Visual Examination of Concrete Surface
• Rust staining is a direct indication of corrosion but unless present on
large scale it can be misleading. It can also be caused due to
surrounding bodies or nearby bodies
• Scaling is the breakdown of the surface mortar with the accompanied
loosening of surface aggregate. Scaling is not caused by corrosion but
will hasten its development.
• Spalling is the breaking off of pieces of concrete from the
reinforcement to the surface and is a direct result of forces produced
in the concrete as a result of the bar expansion caused by corrosion.
Tests which can be performed on concrete
cores
1. Cover Meter Survey
• The necessity to provide adequate cover thickness to control
corrosion needs no emphasis. A cover thickness survey is useful to
determine existing cover thickness in a specific location when a
damage has been identified and elsewhere for comparison on the
same structure. It can be measured by commercially available cover
meters.
2. Half cell potential Survey
• Corrosion being a electrochemical phenomenon, the electrode potential of
steel rebar with reference to a standard electode undergoes changes
depending on corrosion activity.
• The measurement consists of giving an electrical connection to the rebar
and observing the voltage difference between the bar and a reference
electode in contact with concrete surface.
• Generally the voltage potential becomes more and more negative as the
corrosion becomes more and more active.
3. Resistivity Measurement
• The electrical resistance of concrete plays an important role in
determining the quality of concrete from the point of view ‘corrosion
susceptibility potential’ at any specific location.
• For general monitoring, a resistivity check is important because long-
term corrosion can be anticipated in concrete structures.
Carbonation Test

Carbonation in concrete is the process whereby carbon dioxide (in moist air) reacts
with the lime and other alkaline materials in the concrete and creates calcium
carbonate.
This is the most common cause for loss of alkalinity in concrete, which is important
as a high level of alkalinity is required to prevent corrosion of the re-inforced steel
inside the concrete.
The measurement of carbonation depth using the phenolphthalein solution is
carried out by spraying the indicator on the split surface of the concrete cylinder.
The solution became a pink color in the carbonated concrete and can be
differentiated from the un-carbonated concrete, giving a distinct boundary marking
the carbonation front. A carbonation depth up to an accuracy of 5mm can be
identified with the naked eye
Chloride Test
If Chloride is present in reinforced concrete it can cause very severe corrosion of
the steel reinforcement. Chlorides can originate from two main sources:
a) “Internal” Chloride, i.e. chloride added to the concrete at the time of mixing.
This includes calcium chloride accelerating admixtures, contamination of
aggregates and the use of sea water or other saline contaminated water.
b) “External” chloride, i.e. chloride ingressing into the concrete post-hardening. In
this category, we find both rock-salt (used on roads) which gets into concrete
structures such as flyovers and sea salt, either directly from sea water in
structures such as bridges, or in the form of air-borne salt spray in structures
adjacent to the coast.
Test Method
The test involves crushing a sample of the concrete to a fine dust, extracting the
chloride with hot dilute nitric acid and then adding silver nitrate solution to
precipitate any chloride present.