ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL TECHNICAL PAPER

Title no. 104-S34

Comparison of Two Accelerated Corrosion Techniques for

Characterizing deterioration of reinforced concrete structures surface of the steel bar and different deterioration of the bond
caused by the corrosion of steel bars is a major problem in predicting behavior between the corroded bar and concrete and will lead
service life. Normally, the galvanostatic method is used for to different capacity and ductility behavior of the structure. The
accelerating steel bar corrosion in concrete. The surface corrosion process of the bar corroded under an artificial
characteristics of the corroded steel bar, however, are found to be
different when the corrosion is induced by galvanostatic method or
climate environment can be the same as under a natural envi-
by natural environment. Recently, an artificial climate environment ronment. Therefore, the durability test under artificial climate
has been used to accelerate reinforcing bar corrosion in concrete. This environment not only can achieve the purpose of accelerating
method is becoming important in assessing the durability of concrete steel corrosion and control the degree of the corrosion, but
structures because of the similarity in surface characteristics of the also result in the same corrosion characteristics on the bar
corroded steel bar under natural and artificial climate environments. surface. Researchers10-13 have begun to adopt the new accel-
In this study, two groups of reinforced concrete beams were erated corrosion technique for durability.
degraded as a result of the corrosion of steel bars. One group of In this research, the corrosion process and the differences
beams was subjected to the galvanostatic method, while the other of the structural behavior under the impressed current technique
group was corroded using the artificial climate environment. and artificial climate environment are studied. The purpose
Comparative studies including the corroded characteristics of is to verify if the artificial climate environment can be
steel bar surface, the mechanical behavior of the corroded bar, and
adopted as an accelerated technique for the durability test
the load-bearing capacity were conducted. The comparisons between
the two groups of beams were based on the identical width of corrosion instead of the galvanostatic method. Identical reinforced
cracking. Obvious differences were found from the comparisons. concrete beams were corroded under the two accelerated
corrosion techniques, and the comparisons of their structural
Keywords: acceleration; corrosion; deterioration; reinforcement. behavior are carried out based on the same crack width
caused by steel bar corrosion.
INTRODUCTION
Corrosion of steel reinforcement is one of the major causes RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
To study the influence of the reinforcing bar corrosion on
inducing deterioration of reinforced concrete structures. In
the response of the reinforced concrete beams, the galvanostatic
the past two decades, researchers have used the galvanostatic
method of inducing corrosion is commonly employed. The
method to study the effects of the degree of corrosion on
corrosion process, however, is known to be different with the
deterioration of the structural response. The method is an
impressed current technique as compared with the natural
impressed current technique for accelerating steel bar corrosion
environment. An alternative method of inducing corrosion
in concrete. Corrosion on the steel bar is induced by applying
using artificial climate environment is proposed in this study.
an electrical potential using the steel bar in concrete as the
To correctly predict the response of concrete structures subjected
anode and a stainless steel bar as the cathode. The corrosion
to steel bar corrosion, it is essential that an appropriate
degree can be controlled by varying the current density and/
method be used in the laboratory to accelerate corrosion. It is
or the time interval of the impressed current. The advantages
shown that the process of corrosion and the consequent
of adopting this method are achieving a high degree of
structural degradation are different when the two methods
corrosion within a short period of time and the easy control
were used to induce corrosion.
of the corrosion degree desired. Many studies have been
carried out using the galvanostatic method in the past two
decades, such as the mechanical behavior of corroded steel EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
Reinforced concrete beams for testing
bar;1-2 the bond behavior between corroded bar and The reinforced concrete beams employed for testing are
concrete;3-5 the structural behavior of corroded elements;6-7 divided into three groups. The first group (Group A) is
the behavior of marine concrete structure under fatigue corroded under an artificial climate environment, the second
loading;8 and the interaction between loading, corrosion, and group (Group B) is corroded using the galvanostatic method,
serviceability of reinforced concrete.9 It is of benefit to qual- and the third group (Group K) is in a non-corroded state. The
itatively study the effect of the corrosion degree on the dete- concrete composition, reinforcement, and dimension of the
rioration of the structural behavior. However, it can be very
difficult to quantitatively predict the corrosion degree-
dependent deterioration of the structural behavior.
ACI Structural Journal, V. 104, No. 3, May-June 2007.
From an electrochemical aspect, the corrosion process is MS No. S-2006-184.R3 received September 9, 2006, and reviewed under Institute
publication policies. Copyright © 2007, American Concrete Institute. All rights reserved,
different when the corrosion is induced using the galvanostatic including the making of copies unless permission is obtained from the copyright
method or under a natural environment. A different corrosion proprietors. Pertinent discussion including author’s closure, if any, will be published
in the March-April 2008 ACI Structural Journal if the discussion is received by
process will lead to different corrosion characteristics on the November 1, 2007.

344 ACI Structural Journal/May-June 2007