Correlation between surface crack width and steel corrosion in reinforced concrete

Abstract

Reinforced concrete structures are subjected to weather conditions, chemical attack and other sources of deterioration that can affect their performance. In particular, corrosion of the internal steel reinforcement is considered to be one of the main causes of structural deterioration. A possible consequence of corrosion is cracking of the surrounding concrete. Visual inspections are often used to inform asset management strategies. Finding a relationship between cracks that are visible on the outer surface of a structure and corrosion of the internal reinforcement can be helpful when making assessment decisions. To this end, unconfined cylindrical concrete specimens with an embedded steel bar have been subjected to accelerated corrosion using an impressed current density of 200μA/cm2, leading to steel mass losses between 5-24%. This paper discusses the measured correlation between corrosion-induced surface crack widths and degree of reinforcement corrosion. The tests highlighted some limitations of a set-up that is commonly adopted for accelerated corrosion and concentric pull-out bond testing. The findings of this study represent a first step towards the standardisation of accelerated corrosion testing procedures using an impressed current.