Accelerated Corrosion Behavior of Steel in Concrete Subjected to Sustained Flexural Loading Using Electrochemical Methods and X-Ray Computed Tomography

Abstract

In this study, the effect of flexural loading on the chloride-induced corrosion behavior of steels in large-sized concrete was characterized using various electrochemical methods and X-ray computed tomography (X-CT). Electrochemical measurements revealed that steels embedded in loaded concrete exhibited higher corrosion rate than those in unloaded concrete after 15 days of accelerated corrosion. However, after accelerated corrosion for 6 days, similar corrosion behavior was identified for steels in both loaded concrete and unloaded concrete. It was found that the penetration and the distribution of corrosion products in concrete were significantly affected by the sustained flexural loading after the occurrence of load-induced transverse cracks.