Initiation period of corrosion by chloride ion according to EHE 08 in cracked concrete elements

Abstract

The transport of chloride in concrete by diffusion is a problem widely studied to determine the service-life of structures in marine environments. However, there is no procedure to calculate the chlorides transport when the concrete is cracked. The standards limit the width of the cracks according to the type of exposure environment. In this paper, the relation of the crack width with the diffusion coefficient is studied and the initiation time of chloride-induced corrosion in fissured concrete is estimated. A law has been obtained that allows to predict the variation of the corrosion initiation time according to the width of the crack.