INTRODUCTION

Concrete is a complex material of construction that enables the high compressive

Strength of natural stone to be used in any configuration. In tension, however, Concrete can be
no stronger than the bond between the cured cement and the surfaces of the aggregate. This is
generally much lower than the compressive strength of the concrete. Concrete is therefore
frequently reinforced, usually with steel. When a system of steel bars or a steel mesh is
incorporated in the concrete structure in such away that the steel can support most of the tensile
stresses and leave the immediately surrounding concrete comparatively free of tensile stress, then
the complex is known as “reinforced concrete”. Reinforced concrete uses steel to provide the
tensile properties that are needed in structural concrete. It prevents the failure of concrete
structures which are subjected to tensile and flexural stresses due to traffic, winds, dead loads,
and thermal cycling. However, when reinforcement corrodes, the formation of rust leads to a loss
of bond between the steel and the concrete and subsequently delamination and spalling.

What is Corrosion of Steel?

defines corrosion as “the chemical or electrochemical reaction between a material, usually a

metal, and its environment that produces a deterioration of the material and its properties.”

REASONS OF CORROSION OF STEEL IN CONCREET

Steel in concrete is usually in a non-corroding, passive condition. However, The two most
common causes of reinforcement corrosion are (i) localized breakdown of the passive film on the
steel by chloride ions and (ii) general breakdown of passivity by neutralization of the concrete,
predominantly by reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide.The scale of this problem has
reached alarming proportions in various parts of theworld. Following are the contributing factors
leading to corrosion:

1) Loss of Alkalinity due to Carbonation

Concrete is very alkaline (pH – 12.5), and it is this alkalinity that reacts with iron to
produce a stable coating, making the iron coating in the concrete much like an aluminum coating
in air. However, two external factors, carbonation and salt, both of which can permeate concrete,
will destroy this stability. It is well known that if bright steel is left unprotected in the
atmosphere a brown oxide rust quickly forms and will continue to grow until a scale flakes from
the surface. This corrosion process will continue unless some external means is provided to
prevent it. One method is to surround the steel within alkaline environment having a pH value
within the range 9.5 to 13. At this pH value a passive film forms on the steel that reduces the rate
of corrosion to a very low and harmless value. Thus, concrete cover provides chemical as well as
physical protection to the steel. However, alkalinity can be lost as a result of:

(a) Reaction with acidic gases (such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere.

(b) Leaching by water from the surface.

Concrete is permeable and allows the slow ingress of the atmosphere; the acidic gases react with
the alkalis (usually calcium, sodium and potassium hydroxides), neutralizing them by forming
carbonate sand sulphates , and at the same time reducing the pH value.

Carbonation (neutralization with C02) was first observed in Europe, but now is being noticed
everywhere. Large amounts of carbon dioxide are being produced today from autos and
industrial plants, and this acidic gas can penetrate porous concrete, neutralizing the alkalinity of
the concrete and making the steel susceptible to normal atmospheric corrosion. This can be an
even more serious problem when acid rain is involved and the concrete is highly permeable.

. In the case of carbonation, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reacts with pore water alkali
according to the generalized reaction,

Ca(OH)2 + CO2 CaCO3 + H2O

It consumes alkalinity and reduces pore water pH to the 8–9 range, where steel is no longer
passive.

2) Loss of Alkalinity due to Chlorides

By far the most serious corrosion problem for reinforcing steel is salt (sodium chloride) that gets
into concrete, generally from one of the two major sources: oceans and roads. Structures near the
seacoast are very likely to show signs of corrosion and, whenever it snows in the United States,
salt is spread over the highway system. The passivity provided by the alkaline conditions can
also be destroyed by the presence of chloride ions, even though a high level of alkalinity remains
in the concrete. Chlorides react with the calcium aluminates and calcium aluminoferrite in the
concrete to form insoluble calcium chloroaluminates and calcium chloroferrites in which the
chloride is bound in non-active form; however, the reaction is never complete and some active
soluble chloride always remains in equilibrium in the aqueous phase in the concrete. It is this
chloride in solution that is free to promote corrosion of the steel. At low levels of chloride in the
aqueous phase, the rate ofcorrosion is very small, but higher concentration increases the risks of
corrosion. Chloride is the corrosive element in salt Since most bridge structures are made of
concrete, the introduction of this large quantity of road salt results in damage from the salt
penetrating the concrete and corroding the steel reinforcing rods. The effect is so significant that
more than 43,000 bridges are in need of high-level maintenance, rehabilitation, or even
replacement.Chloride is the corrosive element in salt, and, unfortunately, not long ago calcium
chloride was used as an admixture in concrete because it reduced the set time and was thought to
waterproof concrete.

3) Cracks due to Mechanical Loading

Cracks in concrete formed as a result of tensile loading, shrinkage or other factors can also allow
the ingress of the atmosphere and provide a zone from which the carbonation front can develop.
If the crack penetrates to the steel, protection can be lost. This is especially so under tensile
loading(traffic, winds, dead loads, and thermal cycling)
5) Corrosion of steel reinforcement due to atmospheric pollution

Most of the times steel reinforcement is exposed to the atmosphere during transportation and
storage in the building sites for a long period before their installation in the concrete structures.
At any of those stages, steel rebars can be contaminated by chloride ions from sea spray or
windblown salt. This fact leads to the formation of corrosion products on their surface. Fiber
optical microscope images after three months at open atmosphere conditions.

6) Moisture Pathways

If the surface of the concrete is subject to long-term wetting, the water will eventually reach the
level of the reinforcement, either through diffusion through the porous structure of the concrete,
or by traveling along cracks in the concrete. Concrete roof decks, by their nature, are meant to be
protected from moisture. However, the presence of moisture on roofing systems may result from
failure of the roofing membrane,

7) Water-Cement Ratio

Concrete placed with a high water-cement ratio, as seen under Freeze-thaw cycles, is more
porous due to the presence of excess water in the plastic concrete. The porosity increases the rte
of diffusion of water and electrolytes through the concrete and makes the concrete more
susceptible to cracking.

CHANCE TO ENTER WATER, CHLORIDE, FUME

WATER CEMENT RATIO CHANCE TO ENTER WATER,

CHLORIDE, FUME

0.35 1.05

.5 10.3

.65 1000

TIME TAKEN TO COMPLEET FILLING OF HOLES

WATER CEMENT RATIO TIME TAKEN TO COMPLEET FILLING

OF HOLES
 0.4 3 days

0.45 7 ’’

0.5 14 ’’

0.55 3 months

0.6 6 months

0.7 1 year and more

POWER LOSS TO RESISTANCE SALT

WATER CEMENT RATIO CHANCE TO ENTER SALTSALT

0.4 8

0.5 22

0.61 51

8) Low Concrete Tensile Strength Concrete with low tensile strength facilitates corrosion
damage in two ways. First, the concrete develops tension or shrinkage cracks more easily,
admitting moisture and oxygen, and in some cases chlorides, to the level of the reinforcement.
Second, the concrete is more susceptible to developing cracks at the point that the reinforcement
begins to corrode.

9) Electrical Contact with dissimilar metals Dissimilar metals in contact initiate a flow of
electrons that promotes the corrosion of one or the other, by a process known as galvanic
corrosion. When two dissimilar metals are in contact with each other the more active metal
(lower on the list) will induce corrosion on the less active. Such corrosion may induce cracking
and damage in the concrete.

PREVENTION METHODS

1) Keep concrete always dry, so that there is no H2O to form rust. Also aggressive agents cannot
easily diffuse into dry concrete. If concrete is always wet, then there is no oxygen to form rust.
2) A polymeric coating is applied to the concrete member to keep out aggressive agents. A
polymeric coating is applied to the reinforcing bars to protect them from moisture and aggressive
agents. The embedded epoxy-coating on steel bars provide a certain degree of protection to the
steel bars and, thereby, delay the initiation of corrosion.

3) Stainless steel or cladded stainless steel is used in lieu of conventional black bars.

4) FLY ASH : Using a Fly Ash concrete with very low permeability, which will delay the arrival
of carbonation and chlorides at the level of the steel reinforcement. Fly Ash is a finely divided
silica rich powder that, in itself, gives no benefit when added to a concrete mixture, unless it can
react with the calcium hydroxide formed in the first few days of hydration. Together they form a
calcium silica hydrate (CSH) compound that over time effectively reduces concrete diffusivity to
oxygen, carbon dioxide, water and chloride ions.

5) A portion of the chloride ions diffusing through the concrete can be sequestered in the
concrete by combining them with the tricalcium aluminate to form a calcium chloro-aluminate
(Friedel’s salt). It can have a significant effect in reducing the amount of available chlorides
thereby reducing corrosion.

6) Electrochemical injection of the organic base corrosion inhibitors, ethanolamine and

guanidine, into carbonated concrete.

13) Concrete mix design modifications involve such factors as reduced w/c, including use of
waterreducing admixtures or superplastizers; type of cement; permeability reducing admixtures
such as fly ash, silica fume, and blast furnace slag; and corrosion inhibiting admixtures.

CEMENT ACTION OF SALT

OPC 4.47

FLY ASH(70%opc+30%fly ash) 1.47

SLAG CEMENT(35%opc+65%slag) .41

14) Structural design aspects of corrosion control involve factors such as configurational
(geometrical) considerations that minimize or, if possible, eliminate exposure to corrosives.

15) Remedies for corrosion-damaged concrete include removal of all delaminated concrete,
cleaning of the reinforcement by abrasive blast cleaning, high pressure water, or needle scaling,
and use of a concrete patching material.
PROVIDE SUFFICIENT COVER FOR REINFORCEMENT

STRUCTURE MIN. COVER

Slab 20 mm

Beam 30 mm

Column 45 mm

Foundation 60 mm

Pile 75 mm

Corrosion Inhibitor
Most admixture suppliers today sell calcium nitrite as a corrosion inhibitor for use in concrete.
Calcium nitrite not only reduces the chances of corrosion in concrete, but actually increases the
strength of the concrete.

Cathodic Protection
Generally, cathodic protection is applied after corrosion has been observed. Cathodic protection
is the application of an electric current that is in the reverse direction of the corrosion current.
Since corrosion is an electrochemical process, it necessarily means that current is flowing. If an
equal and opposite current is applied so that no current flows, no corrosion is possible.

PROBLMS

"Concrete Cancer"? : Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures is well known to

be "Concrete Cancer",

Spalling Concrete: Spalling or Concrete Cancer has the possibility to affect any building in
which reinforced concrete was used in its construction - floor slabs, stairs, balconies, walls,
columns, beams and pathways

CONCLUSIONS:

Common types of corrosion occurring are Pitting, Crevice and Intergrannular corrosion. The
two most common causes of reinforcement corrosion are chloride ions and carbonation by
atmospheric carbon dioxide. In wet and cold climates, reinforced concrete for roads, bridges,
parking structures and other structures that may be exposed to deicing salt may benefit from use
of epoxy-coated, hot dip galvanized or stainless steel rebar, although good design and a well-
chosen cement mix may provide sufficient protection for many applications. Epoxy coated rebar
can easily be identified by the light green color of its epoxy coating. Hot dip galvanized rebar
may be bright or dull grey depending on length of exposure, and stainless rebar exhibits a typical
white metallic sheen that is readily distinguishable from carbon steel reinforcing bar. More
techniques like Cathodic protection and ECE are also employed. Use of Fly Ash too delays the
effect of chlorides and carbon dioxide.