Assessment of Commercial Corrosion Inhibiting Admixtures for Reinforced Concrete

Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete exposed to chloride-laden environments is a well-known and documented phenomenon. The need for cost effective systems for protection against corrosion has become increasingly clear since the first observations of severe corrosion damage to interstate bridges in the 1960's. As one potential solution to the mounting problem of corrosion deterioration of structures, corrosion-inhibiting admixtures have been researched and introduced into service. This report conveys the results of a three-part laboratory study of corrosion inhibiting admixtures in concrete. The commercial corrosion inhibiting admixtures for concrete have been analyzed by three evaluation methods, including: • Conventional concrete corrosion cell prisms under ponding, • Black steel reinforcing bars immersed in simulated concrete pore solutions, • Electrochemical screening tests of special carbon steel specimens in electrochemical corrosion cells containing filtered cement slurry solution. The purposes of the study include: • Determining the influence of a series of commercially available corrosion inhibiting admixtures on general concrete handling, performance and durability properties not related to corrosion. • Determining the effectiveness of corrosion inhibiting admixtures for reduction or prevention of corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete, relative to untreated systems, under laboratory conditions. • Conducting a short-term pore solution immersion test for inhibitor performance and relating the results to those of the more conventional long-term corrosion monitoring techniques that employ admixtures in reinforced concrete prisms. • Determining whether instantaneous electrochemical techniques can be applied in screening potential inhibitor admixtures. Concrete properties under test included air content, slump, heat of hydration, compressive strength, and electrical indication of chloride permeability. Monitoring of concrete prism specimens included macro-cell corrosion current, mixed-cell corrosion activity as indicated by linear polarization, and ancillary temperature, relative humidity, and chloride concentration documentation. Simulated pore solution specimens were analyzed on the basis of weight loss and surface area corroded as a function of chloride exposure. Electrochemical screening involved polarization resistance of steel in solution. Results include corrosion potential, polarization resistance and corrosion current density.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Civil Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1999

Author dc:creator

• Brown, Michael Carey

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Weyers, Richard E.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Berke, Neal S.
• Duke, John C. Jr.
• Cousins, Thomas E.

• polarization resistance
• corrosion inhibiting admixtures
• reinforcing steel corrosion
• concrete pore solution

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-122199-104756

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/36386