Abstract
To investigate the influence of concrete quality and drying duration on steel corrosion rate when cyclic wetting and drying is used to accelerate corrosion propagation. To inform future similar experimental work in the area of accelerated steel corrosion in concrete. Concrete prisms (100 × 100 × 240 mm) were made using two w/b ratios (0.40 and 0.65) and three binder types. After elimination of the corrosion initiation phase using an impressed current technique, the specimens were exposed to cycles of wetting (2 days) and drying (1, 3, 5, or 7 days). Steel corrosion rate was monitored using a coulostatic technique, over a period of ca. 170 days. Both the duration of drying and concrete quality profoundly affect corrosion rate of steel in concrete in a cyclic wetting and drying regime. A general inference from the results is that with drying, the denser microstructure concretes with high resistivity exhibited resistivity corrosion control while the less dense microstructure concretes with low resistivity exhibited both cathodic and resistivity corrosion controls. In accelerated corrosion testing using cyclic wetting and drying, the combined effects of concrete quality and drying duration need to be considered in determining corrosion rate.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Angst UM (2018) Challenges and opportunities in corrosion of steel in concrete. Mater Struct 51(4):1–20
British-Cement-Association (1997) Development of an holistic approach to ensure the durability of new concrete construction. British Cement Association, Crowthorne
fib-Model-Code (2010) 3rd FIP/CEB Model Code for concrete structures. Comite Euro-International du Beton and Federation International de Precontrainte
Broomfield JP (2007) Corrosion of steel in concrete—understanding, investigation and repair, 2nd edn. Taylor & Francis, Oxford
Castel A, Vidal T, Francois R, Arliguie G (2003) Influence of steel-concrete interface quality on reinforcement corrosion induced by chlorides. Mag Concr Res 55(2):151–160
François R, Arliguie G (1998) Influence of service cracking on reinforcement steel corrosion. J Mater Civ Eng 10(1):14–20
Otieno M, Beushausen H, Alexander M (2016) Chloride-induced corrosion of steel in cracked concrete—part I: experimental studies under accelerated and natural marine environments. Cem Concr Res 79:373–385
Vidal T, Castel A, François R (2007) Corrosion process and structural performance of a 17 year old reinforced concrete beam stored in chloride environment. Cem Concr Res 37(11):1551–1561
Zhang R, Castel A, Francois R (2009) Serviceability limit state criteria based on steel-concrete bond loss for corroded reinforced concrete in chloride environment. Mater Struct 42(10):1407–1421
Zhang R, Castel A, François R (2009) The corrosion pattern of reinforcement and its influence on serviceability of reinforced concrete members in chloride environment. Cem Concr Res 39(11):1077–1086
Zhang R, Castel A, François R (2010) Concrete cover cracking with reinforcement corrosion of RC beam during chloride-induced corrosion process. Cem Concr Res 40(3):415–425
Ballim Y, Reid JC (2003) Reinforcement corrosion and the deflection of RC beams—an experimental critique of current test methods. Cement Concr Compos 25(6):625–632
El Maaddawy T, Soudki K (2007) A model for prediction of time from corrosion initiation to corrosion cracking. Cement Concr Compos 29(3):168–175
Liu Y, Weyers RE (1998) Modelling the time-to-corrosion cracking in chloride contaminated reinforced concrete structures. ACI Mater J 95(6):675–681
Malumbela G, Moyo P, Alexander MG (2009) Behaviour of reinforced concrete beams under sustained service loads. Constr Build Mater 23(11):3346–3351
Torres-Acosta AA, Fabela-Gallegos MJ, Munoz-Noval A, Vazques-Vega D, Hernandez-Jimenez JR (2004) Influence of corrosion on the structural stiffness of reinforced concrete beams. Corrosion 60(9):862–872
Torres-Acosta AA, Navarro-Guitierrez S, Teran-Guillen J (2007) Residual flexure capacity of corroded reinforced concrete beams. Eng Struct 29(6):1145–1152
Andrade C, Alonso C, Molina FJ (1993) Cover cracking as a function of bar corrosion: part I—experimental test. Mater Struct 26(8):453–464
Li S, Yan JJ, Wang X (2013) On comparison between reinforcement electricity accelerated corrosion and natural corrosion of concrete. Appl Mech Mater 357–360:676–679
Austin SA, Lyons R, Ing MJ (2004) Electrochemical behavior of steel-reinforced concrete during accelerated corrosion testing. Corrosion 60(2):203–212
El Maaddawy TA, Soudki KA (2003) Effectiveness of impressed current technique to simulate corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete. ASCE J Mater Civ Eng 15(1):41–47
Polder RB, Peelen HA (2002) Characterisation of chloride transport and reinforcement corrosion in concrete under cyclic wetting and drying by electrical resistivity. Cem Concr Compos 24:427–435
Wu J, Li H, Wang Z, Liu J (2016) Transport model of chloride ions in concrete under loads and drying-wetting cycles. Constr Build Mater 112:733–738
Ye H, Jin X, Fu C, Jin N, Xu Y, Huang T (2016) Chloride penetration in concrete exposed to cyclic drying-wetting and carbonation. Constr Build Mater 112:457–463
Jung WY, Yoon YS, Sohn YM (2003) Predicting the remaining service life of land concrete by steel corrosion. Cem Concr Res 33(5):663–677
Otieno MB, Beushausen HD, Alexander MG (2016) Chloride-induced corrosion of steel in cracked concrete—part II: corrosion rate prediction models. Cem Concr Res 79:386–394
Care S, Raharinaivo A (2007) Influence of impressed current on the initiation of damage in reinforced mortar due to corrosion of embedded steel. Cem Concr Res 37(12):1598–1612
Revie RW, Uhlig HH (2008) Corrosion and corrosion control: an introduction to corrosion science and engineering, 4th edn. Wiley, Hoboken
Yuan Y, Ji Y, Shah SP (2007) Comparison of two accelerated corrosion techniques for concrete structures. ACI Struct J 104(3):344–347
Ballim Y, Reid JC, Kemp AR (2001) Deflection of RC beams under simultaneous load and steel corrosion. Mag Concr Res 53(3):171–181
Malumbela G, Moyo P, Alexander M (2012) A step towards standardising accelerated corrosion tests on laboratory reinforced concrete specimens. J S Afr Inst Civ Eng (SAICE) 54(2):78–85
ASTM-STP1065 (1990) Corrosion rates of steel in concrete, Berke, N. S., Chaker, V. and Whiting, D. ASTM International, 197 pp
Poursaee A (2016) Corrosion measurement and evaluation techniques of steel in concrete structures. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge
Badawi M, Soudki K (2005) Control of corrosion-induced damage in reinforced concrete beams using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates. J Compos Constr 9(2):195–201
Cabrera JG (1996) Deterioration of concrete due to reinforcement steel corrosion. Cem Concr Compos 18(1):47–59
Mangat PS, Elgarf MS (1999) Flexural strength of concrete beams with corroding reinforcement. ACI Struct J 96(1):149–158
Masoudi S, Soudki K, Topper T (2005) Post-repair fatigue performance of FRP-repaired corroded RC beams: experimental and analytical investigation. J Compos Constr 9(5):441–449
Yoon S, Wang K, Weiss WJ, Shah SP (2000) Interaction between loading, corrosion, and serviceability of reinforced concrete. ACI Mater J 97(6):637–644
Malumbela, G (2010) Measurable parameters for performance of corroded and repaired RC beams under load. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of civil engineering, University of Cape Town
Otieno MB, Alexander MG, Beushausen H-D (2010) Corrosion in cracked and uncracked concrete—influence of crack width, concrete quality and crack re-opening. Mag Concr Res 62(6):393–404
Scott AN, Alexander MG (2007) The influence of binder type, cracking and cover on corrosion rates of steel in chloride-contaminated concrete. Mag Concr Res 59(7):495–505
Care S, Nguyen QT, L’Hostis V, Berthaud Y (2008) Mechanical properties if the rust layer induced by impressed current method in reinforced mortar. Cem Concr Res 38(8–9):1079–1091
Cornell R, Schwerttmann U (1996) The iron oxides: structure, properties, reactions, occurrence and uses. VCH, Weinheim
Liu Y (1996) Modelling the time-to-corrosion cracking of the cover concrete in chloride-contaminated reinforced concrete structures. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of civil engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Mohamed TU, Otsuki N, Hamada H (2003) Corrosion of steel bars in cracked concrete under marine environment. ASCE J Mater Civ Eng 15(5):460–469
Cairns J, Dut Y, Law D (2008) Structural performance of corrosion-damaged concrete beams. Mag Concr Res 60(5):359–370
Chang YT, Cherry B, Marosszeky M (2008) Polarisation behaviour of steel bar samples in concrete in seawater—part I: experimental measurement of polarisation curves of steel in concrete. Corros Sci 50(2):357–364
Yuan Y, Ji Y, Jiang J (2009) Effect of corrosion layer of steel bar in concrete on time-variant corrosion rate. Mater Struct 42(10):1443–1450
ASTM-G109 (2007) Standard test method for determining effects of chemical admixtures on corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement in concrete exposed to chloride environments. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Collier NC, Sharp JH, Milestone NB, Hill J, Godfrey IH (2008) The influence of water removal techniques on the composition and microstructure of hardened cement pastes. Cem Concr Res 38(6):737–744
El Maaddawy T, Chahrour A, Soudki K (2006) Effect of fiber-reinforced polymer wraps on corrosion activity and concrete cracking in chloride-contaminated concrete cylinders. J Compos Constr 10(2):139–147
Pradhan B, Bhattacharjee B (2011) Rebar corrosion in chloride environment. Constr Build Mater 25(5):2565–2575
Malumbela G, Alexander MG, Moyo P (2010) Variation of steel loss and its effect on flexural capacity of RC beams corroded and repaired under load. Constr Build Mater 24:1051–1059
EN-206 (2013) Concrete—Part 1: specification, performance, production and conformity, European Standard
Paul SC, van Zijl G, Babafemi A, Tan M (2016) Chloride ingress in cracked and uncracked SHCC under cyclic wetting-drying exposure. Constr Build Mater 114:232–240
Glass G, Page C, Short N, Yu S (1993) An investigation of galvanostatic transient methods used to monitor the corrosion rate of steel in concrete. Corros Sci 35(5–8):1585–1592
Hassanien A, Glass G, Buenfeld N (1998) The use of small electrochemical perturbations to assess the corrosion of steel in concrete. NDT & E Int 31(4):265–272
Andrade C, Alonso C (1996) Corrosion rate monitoring in the laboratory and on-site. Constr Build Mater 10(5):315–328
Feliu V, Gonzalez JA, Feliu S (2007) Corrosion estimates from transient response to a potential step. Corros Sci 49(8):3241–3255
Gonzalez JA, Miranda JM, Feliu S (2004) Consideration on the reproducibility of potential and corrosion rate measurements in reinforced concrete. Corros Sci 46(10):2467–2485
Ballim Y, Alexander MG (2018) Guiding principles in developing the South African approach to durability testing of concrete. In: Proceedings of the 6th international conference on durability of concrete structures, 18–20 July 2018, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. ISBN-13: 978-1849953948, pp 36–45
DI-Manual (2018) Durability index testing procedure manual, Version 4.5. www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za/durability, 43 pp
SANS-3001-CO3-1 (2015) Civil engineering test methods: part CO3-1: concrete durability index testing—preparation of test specimens. South African Bureau of Standards—Standards Division, Pretoria, South Africa, ISBN 978-0-626-32799-6
SANS-3001-CO3-2 (2015) Civil engineering test methods: part CO3-2: concrete durability index testing—oxygen permeability test. South African Bureau of Standards—Standards Division, Pretoria, South Africa, ISBN 978-0-626-32800-9
SANS-3001-CO3-3 (2015) Civil engineering test methods: part CO3-3: concrete durability index testing—chloride conductivity test. South African Bureau of Standards—Standards Division, Pretoria, South Africa, ISBN 978-0-626-32801-6
Wu Z, Wong HS, Buenfeld N (2015) Influence of drying-induced microcracking and related size effects on mass transport properties of concrete. Cem Concr Res 68:35–48
Alexander MG, Ballim Y, Stanish K (2008) A framework for use of durability indexes in performance-based design and specifications for reinforced concrete structures. Mater Struct 41(5):921–936
Ballim Y (1993) Towards an early age index for the durability of concrete. In: Proceedings of international conference, concrete 2000—economic and durable construction through excellence, 7–9 September 1993, Dundee, Scotland, vol 2. E & FN Spon, London, pp 1003–1012
Streicher PE, Alexander MG (1995) A chloride conduction test for concrete. Cem Concr Res 25(6):1284–1294
Beushausen H, Alexander MG, Basheer M, Baroghel-Bouny V, d’Andrea R, Gonçalves A, Gulikers J, Jacobs F, Khrapko M, Monteiro AV, Nanukuttan SV, Otieno M, Polder R, Torrent R (2016) Chapter 5: Principles of the performance-based approach for concrete durability. In: Beushausen H, Luco LF (eds) State-of-the-art report: performance-based specifications and control of concrete durability, RILEM TC 230-PSC. ISBN: 978-94-017-7308-9, Springer, pp 107–132
Otieno M, Alexander M (2015) Chloride conductivity testing of concrete—past and recent developments. J S Afr Inst Civ Eng (SAICE) 57(4):55–64
Stansbury EE, Buchanan RA (2000) Fundamentals of electrochemical corrosion. ASM International, Novelty
ASTM-C876-91 (1999) Standard test method for half-cell potentials of uncoated reinforcing steel in concrete. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Otieno M (2014) The development of empirical chloride-induced corrosion rate prediction models for cracked and uncracked steel reinforced concrete structures in the marine tidal zone. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Cape Town
Parrott LJ (1988) Moisture profiles in drying concrete. Adv Cem Res 1(3):164–170
Glass G (1995) An assessment of the coulostatic method applied to the corrosion of steel in concrete. Corros Sci 37(4):597–605
Alexander, MG (2016) Marine concrete structures: design, durability and performance. Woodhead Publishing, ISBN: 978-0-08-100905-5
Alexander MG, Ballim Y, Mackechnie JR (2001) Use of durability indexes to achieve durable cover concrete in reinforced concrete structures. Mater Sci Concr, VI, pp 483–511
Alexander MG, Mackechnie JR, Ballim Y (1999) Guide to the use of durability indexes for achieving durability in concrete structures. Universities of Cape Town and Witwatersrand, Research Monograph No. 2
Otieno MB, Beushausen HD, Alexander MG (2014) Effect of chemical composition of slag on chloride penetration resistance of concrete. Cem Concr Compos 46:56–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2013.11.003
Stanish K, Thomas M (2003) The use of bulk diffusion tests to establish time-dependent concrete chloride diffusion coefficients. Cem Concr Res 33(1):55–62
Arito P (2012) Discrete sacrificial anodes and their use in service life extension of chloride contaminated RC structures. Masters Dissertation, Department of civil engineering, University of Cape Town
Hooton RD (2018) Using long-term outdoor exposure data to benchmark accelerated durability test methods. In: Proceedings of the 6th international conference on durability of concrete structures, 18–20 July 2018, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, pp 509–115
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge with gratitude the financial support received from: CoMSIRU, The University of Cape Town, The Concrete Institute, The National Research Foundation (NRF), Sika (SA) Pty Ltd., PPC Ltd, AfriSam, Haw & Inglis Civil Engineering (Pty) Ltd, Aveng Grinaker-LTA Ltd, The Tertiary Education Support Programme (TESP) of ESKOM, and the Water Research Commission (WRC). The work was undertaken by the second author as part of his MSc(Eng) studies at the University of Cape Town.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The study presented in this paper has no ethics-related issues, and has no conflict of interest issues to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Otieno, M., Golden, G., Alexander, M.G. et al. Acceleration of steel corrosion in concrete by cyclic wetting and drying: effect of drying duration and concrete quality. Mater Struct 52, 50 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-019-1349-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-019-1349-6