Simulation of steel corrosion in concrete based on the model of macro-cell corrosion circuit

Abstract

A comprehensive numerical simulation system is proposed for solving the problem of steel corrosion in concrete related to deterioration of reinforced concrete structures in an environment contaminated by chloride ions. The distribution of the corrosion amount and the corrosion rate along the reinforced bar were calculated based on macro-cell circuit models consisting of micro-cell circuits. The models were quantified according to the results of exposure experiments under two environments, one under cyclic wetting and drying in a laboratory and the other in a splash zone located offshore. The comparisons on time-dependent half-cell potential, corrosion location and corrosion amount indicate qualitative coincidence between the experimental and numerical simulation results. In addition, based on the proposed system, numerical simulation of the macro-cell corrosion circuit between patched area and not-yet-patched area is reasonably achieved. Copyright © 2007 Japan Concrete Institute.