Corrosion in Concrete

Abstract

This chapter deals with corrosion of rebars in concrete, specifying the types of corrosion forms with particular attention to the two most common ones, carbonation induced corrosion and chloride induced corrosion, due to the penetration in concrete of CO2 and chloride ions, respectively. Hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steels and stray current corrosion are also introduced. The preventative and protection methods that can be adopted are discussed, starting with concrete quality and dealing with additional protection methods, namely cathodic prevention, stainless steel and galvanised steel reinforcements, concrete coatings and corrosion inhibitors. Finally, an outline on inspection and diagnosis is presented.