TITLE:
The Effect of Mix-Design and Corrosion Inhibitors on the Durability of Concrete
AUTHORS:
Loukas Karavokyros, Nikolaos Katsiotis, Emmanouil Tzanis, George Batis, Andreas Sapalidis, Alexandros Chatzopoulos, Kosmas Sideris, Margarita Beazi-Katsioti
KEYWORDS:
Reinforced Concrete, Carbonation, Corrosion Inhibitor, Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry, Chloride Ion
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.8 No.4,
April
24,
2020
ABSTRACT: The deterioration of concrete over time is the result of various mechanical, physical, chemical and biological processes, with the corrosion of reinforcement being the most serious problem of durability of reinforced concrete structures. Over the last 50 years, a tremendous effort has been spent by the international scientific community with laboratory research and experimental field studies in order to increase the resistance of concrete over corrosion. This paper presents an experimental study of the corrosion behavior of 5 different concrete mix designs. The compositions were developed as per the latest concrete regulations and International Standards which are as follows: conventional concrete C30/37, conventional concrete with corrosion inhibitor as an additive, conventional concrete with surface spray sealant, fine aggregate concrete and self-compacting concrete. Their behavior against corrosion was determined via the following tests: water absorption test, water permeability test, mercury intrusion porosimetry, rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT), and accelerated carbonation test. The experimental results showed that the corrosion systems examined in the study provide anti-corrosion protection on steel rebars against corrosion comparing with the reference group. Also, an inversely proportional relationship of the water/cement ratio of a composition with its corrosion behavior was observed. Smaller w/c values (0.4 instead of 0.5) lead to better anti-corrosion resistance. In addition, an analogous relationship between the cement content of a composition and its corrosion behavior was observed.