Crevice corrosion of steel rebar in chloride-contaminated concrete

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, crevice corrosion was proposed as one of the important mechanisms responsible for the damage of steel rebar in concrete, which was experimentally verified in simulated concrete pore solution (SCPS) and concrete blocks. The effects of chloride concentration and temperature on the crevice corrosion were comparatively investigated by means of potentiodynamic polarization, immersion, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanic current measurements. The crevice corrosion products in chloride-contaminated SCPS were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that chloride contamination and temperature elevation could significantly accelerate the crevice corrosion.