Modelling corrosion initiation of steel in concrete

doi:10.1680/coma.2007.160.2.81

Modelling corrosion initiation of steel in concrete

Authors: C. P. Atkins ¹ ; L. J. Buckley ² ; A. R. Foster ² ; P. Lambert ²
Source: Proceedings of the ICE - Construction Materials, Volume 160, Issue 2, pages 81 –85 , ISSN: 1747-650X, E-ISSN: 1747-6518

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While some fields of civil engineering endeavour, and some materials, are heavily researched and published, the performance of construction materials and systems attracts far less interest and coverage
Construction Materials from the Institution of Civil Engineers is a recent addition to the suite of ICE Proceedings, and has been established with the aim of encouraging research and practical discussion in the field of performance of construction materials and systems.

Construction Materials addresses, among other subjects
The journal is edited by a distinguished editorial advisory panel and has a broad scope to embrace engineers working in both design and construction.

Construction Materials covers areas such as the procurement, specification, application, development, performance and evaluation of all materials used in construction and civil engineering. Coverage is also provided of the aspects which need to be taken into account when selecting materials: including embodied energy, environmental impact, service life, refurbishment, recycling and reuse.
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In this subject: Ground Engineering, Construction Materials, Innovation Research, Sitework, Environment
By this author: C. P. Atkins , L. J. Buckley , A. R. Foster , P. Lambert

The main cause of corrosion initiation in steel reinforcement within concrete is the presence of chlorides above a threshold value. The primary source of chlorides is from the external environment, either from marine structures or de-icing salts. The most commonly used method of predicting or modelling chloride ingress is to use Fick's second law. Inevitably, there are significant variations involved in the positioning of the steel, the exposure conditions surrounding the concrete and the concrete itself. Due to the variability in chloride penetration and cover it is commonly found that the data will suggest that somewhere on the structure, chlorides have reached the depth of the steel. A single reinforcement bar with very low cover is, however, simple to address. It is more relevant to know when a significant proportion of the reinforcement is likely to become exposed to higher chloride concentrations. As structures are required to last for longer periods, and existing structures are reused for new purposes, the prediction of the likelihood of corrosion becomes more and more important. This paper presents two methodologies that may be applied to obtain a statistical assessment of chloride penetration from site data.

Keywords: mathematical; corrosion; structures; modelling; concrete
Document Type: Research Article
DOI: 10.1680/coma.2007.160.2.81
Affiliations: 1: Materials and Corrosion Engineering, Mott MacDonald Altrincham, Cheshire; 2: Materials and Corrosion Engineering, Mott MacDonald, Altrincham Cheshire

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Modelling corrosion initiation of steel in concrete