An investigation has been carried out to determine the effects of the dissolved solids in process cooling water (pcw) and mine water (mw) on concrete corrosion. An experimental set up was designed to simulate the process in the cooling towers of Sasol (Pty) Ltd at Secunda. The investigation was carried out using Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Portland Blastfurnace Cement (PBFC). The corrosion process was monitored as a function of time by determining the concentrations of the ions left in solution. This was done using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Ion Chromatography (lC). The observation, identification and characterization of the secondary phases formed during the corrosion process were analyzed using the Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM). Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis (EDX) made it possible to identify the various microstructures and quantify their elemental composition. This made it possible to monitor the penetration of sulphate ions in the mortar. Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD) qualitative analysis was also performed on the test mortar specimens. The organic constituents in process cooling water were determined using Gas Chromatography coupled with a Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). The corrosion indices which measures the aggressiveness of water solutions towards cement and concrete were calculated for both process cooling water and mine water. The results of the investigation showed that mine water is more corrosive than process cooling water. This observation has been linked to the presence of the organic compounds in process cooling water. The results also indicated that PBFC was mores resistant to chemical attack than ope. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Factors such as water to cement ratio, moisture, mixture, presence and depth of rebar, and dimension of specimens, all of which affect apparent resistivity of concrete, were analyzed by experimental and modeling methods. Cylinder and rectangular prism concrete specimens were used in the experiments exposed in a high moisture room, laboratory room temperature, high humidity and outdoor weather environments. Single rebar and four rebar specimens were used to study the rebar effect on the apparent resistivity. Modeling analysis was employed to verify and explain the experimental results. Based on the results, concrete with fly ash showed higher resistivity than concrete with just ordinary Portland cement. Rebar presence had a significant effect on the measured apparent resistivity at some of the locations. The results could be used as a guide for field apparent resistivity measurements and provide a quick, more precise and easy way to estimate the concrete quality. / by Yanbo Liu. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

One of the major causes of structural repairs worldwide is the corrosion of reinforced concrete structures, such as residential buildings and piers, which are exposed to harsh marine environments. This investigation aims to provide experimental evidence of the fire resistance of corroded high strength reinforced concrete. For this, 14 reinforced concrete beams of three different concrete mix designs (different strengths) were prepared along with concrete cylinders for compression strength testing (ASTM C39). After proper moist curing, all beams were corroded, in two phases, with impressed current, then “crack scored ”for corrosion evaluation, after which half were exposed to fire, also in two phases, following the ASTM E-119-12 time-temperature curve, using a gas kiln. The fire damage was evaluated and compared between phases by using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity technology. Finally, all specimens were tested for flexural strength by using the third-point loading method (ASTM C78) and the effects of fire on the corroded beams were analyzed according to the level of corrosion. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This thesis reports a research of the corrosion mechanism and corrosion rate of steel reinforcement in concrete. Experimental results are presented to compare the corrosion behaviours of steel reinforcement in two blended-cement concretes in seawater. The experimental program included a study of the influence of crack width on macrocell corrosion, an investigation of the procedure for the determination of polarisation curves of steel in concrete and, an evaluation of the corrosion rate of steel in concrete and the influence of crack width as determined by a new polarisation curve analysis. A mechanism is proposed to interpret the different influences, in both the short and long term, of concrete crack width on the macrocell corrosion rate. This mechanism is based on the finding that the corrosion-spread phenomenon is caused by polarisation effects. An oxygen-depletion mechanism is also proposed to explain the much lower macrocell corrosion rate in the slag cement concrete than that in the flyash cement concrete. The procedure for polarisation testing of steel in concrete is found to be critical to obtaining correct polarisation curves. A twotest procedure is verified to be an appropriate procedure and used in this investigation. Experimental polarisation curves of steel in concrete are found to be very different to those expressed by the kinetic Butler-Volmer equation and, this is considered to be a result of the influence of the passive film on the steel surface in concrete. An empirical polarisation formula is developed and its interpretation is based on the postulation of two parallel kinetic processes occurring at the steel/passive-film/concrete interface; one is the active corrosion process and the other is the film growth/dissolution process. The formula is used to model experimental polarisation curves of steel in concrete through curvefitting analyses. Good curve-fitting results are obtained between the polarisation test curves and model curves. The results are used for evaluation of the corrosion rate and Tafel behaviours of steel in the two concretes and for assessment of the influence of crack width on the corrosion rate within the crack zone.

This research study examined the effect of corrosion of web reinforcement (stirrups) on the shear behaviour of slender reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The experimental program consisted of seventeen slender shear-critical RC beams: five uncorroded and twelve corroded beams. The test variables included: 1) corrosion level (0%, 7.5% and 15%); 2) type of stirrups (smooth and deformed); 3) stirrup diameter (D6, D12 and 10M); 4) stirrups spacing (100mm and 200mm); and 5) the presence of CFRP repair. The corroded beams had their stirrups subjected to corrosion using an accelerated corrosion technique and the mass loss in the stirrups was estimated based on Faraday’s law. All of the beams were monotonically tested to failure in three point bending. The corrosion cracks formed were parallel to the locations of stirrups as evidence of the corrosion damage in the corroded beams. The maximum decrease in the ultimate shear strength ranged from 11% to 14.4% for beams with high corrosion level of 15.6% mass loss. At a low corrosion level (4.39% mass loss), the shear strength of beams with smooth stirrups increased up to 35% due to the enhancement of shear friction at the concrete-corroded stirrups interface. The stiffness of the corroded beams was enhanced in comparison to the control beams. The ultimate deflection of the corroded beams was decreased up to 25% in comparison to the control beams. The CFRP repair increased the shear strength by 36% and improved the overall stiffness by 39% in comparison to the corroded unrepaired beams. All of the unrepaired beams failed in diagonal tension splitting, while the CFRP repaired corroded beams failed in diagonal tension splitting in addition to debonding of the FRP or concrete cover delamination. The actual corrosion mass loss results were in good correlation with Faraday’s law for the D12 and 10M stirrups. Poor correlation between actual and estimated mass loss was obtained for D6 smooth stirrups, possibly due to errors in the impressed corrosion. iv The analytical model used the modified compression field theory (MCFT) to predict the shear strength of uncorroded and corroded slender RC beams. In the corroded beams, two reduction factors were added to the MCFT model including the mass loss factor and the effective web width. Predictions based on the model revealed that the control beams gave a very good correlation with the ratio of experimental to predicted values that ranged from 0.94 to 1.02. On other hand, the ratio of experimental to predicted strength in the corroded beams ranged between1.06 to 1.4. The poor correlations were obtained for the beams with the D6 smooth stirrups. This study demonstrates that corrosion of web reinforcement can have a detrimental effect on the shear strength and ductility of slender shear-critical RC beams. The experimental results and analytical approach will be very useful for practicing engineers and researchers dealing with corrosion damage in slender RC members.

This research study examined the effect of corrosion of web reinforcement (stirrups) on the shear behaviour of slender reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The experimental program consisted of seventeen slender shear-critical RC beams: five uncorroded and twelve corroded beams. The test variables included: 1) corrosion level (0%, 7.5% and 15%); 2) type of stirrups (smooth and deformed); 3) stirrup diameter (D6, D12 and 10M); 4) stirrups spacing (100mm and 200mm); and 5) the presence of CFRP repair. The corroded beams had their stirrups subjected to corrosion using an accelerated corrosion technique and the mass loss in the stirrups was estimated based on Faraday’s law. All of the beams were monotonically tested to failure in three point bending. The corrosion cracks formed were parallel to the locations of stirrups as evidence of the corrosion damage in the corroded beams. The maximum decrease in the ultimate shear strength ranged from 11% to 14.4% for beams with high corrosion level of 15.6% mass loss. At a low corrosion level (4.39% mass loss), the shear strength of beams with smooth stirrups increased up to 35% due to the enhancement of shear friction at the concrete-corroded stirrups interface. The stiffness of the corroded beams was enhanced in comparison to the control beams. The ultimate deflection of the corroded beams was decreased up to 25% in comparison to the control beams. The CFRP repair increased the shear strength by 36% and improved the overall stiffness by 39% in comparison to the corroded unrepaired beams. All of the unrepaired beams failed in diagonal tension splitting, while the CFRP repaired corroded beams failed in diagonal tension splitting in addition to debonding of the FRP or concrete cover delamination. The actual corrosion mass loss results were in good correlation with Faraday’s law for the D12 and 10M stirrups. Poor correlation between actual and estimated mass loss was obtained for D6 smooth stirrups, possibly due to errors in the impressed corrosion. iv The analytical model used the modified compression field theory (MCFT) to predict the shear strength of uncorroded and corroded slender RC beams. In the corroded beams, two reduction factors were added to the MCFT model including the mass loss factor and the effective web width. Predictions based on the model revealed that the control beams gave a very good correlation with the ratio of experimental to predicted values that ranged from 0.94 to 1.02. On other hand, the ratio of experimental to predicted strength in the corroded beams ranged between1.06 to 1.4. The poor correlations were obtained for the beams with the D6 smooth stirrups. This study demonstrates that corrosion of web reinforcement can have a detrimental effect on the shear strength and ductility of slender shear-critical RC beams. The experimental results and analytical approach will be very useful for practicing engineers and researchers dealing with corrosion damage in slender RC members.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-121). / xii, 282 leaves, bound ill. (some col.) 29 cm

This thesis reports a research of the corrosion mechanism and corrosion rate of steel reinforcement in concrete. Experimental results are presented to compare the corrosion behaviours of steel reinforcement in two blended-cement concretes in seawater. The experimental program included a study of the influence of crack width on macrocell corrosion, an investigation of the procedure for the determination of polarisation curves of steel in concrete and, an evaluation of the corrosion rate of steel in concrete and the influence of crack width as determined by a new polarisation curve analysis. A mechanism is proposed to interpret the different influences, in both the short and long term, of concrete crack width on the macrocell corrosion rate. This mechanism is based on the finding that the corrosion-spread phenomenon is caused by polarisation effects. An oxygen-depletion mechanism is also proposed to explain the much lower macrocell corrosion rate in the slag cement concrete than that in the flyash cement concrete. The procedure for polarisation testing of steel in concrete is found to be critical to obtaining correct polarisation curves. A twotest procedure is verified to be an appropriate procedure and used in this investigation. Experimental polarisation curves of steel in concrete are found to be very different to those expressed by the kinetic Butler-Volmer equation and, this is considered to be a result of the influence of the passive film on the steel surface in concrete. An empirical polarisation formula is developed and its interpretation is based on the postulation of two parallel kinetic processes occurring at the steel/passive-film/concrete interface; one is the active corrosion process and the other is the film growth/dissolution process. The formula is used to model experimental polarisation curves of steel in concrete through curvefitting analyses. Good curve-fitting results are obtained between the polarisation test curves and model curves. The results are used for evaluation of the corrosion rate and Tafel behaviours of steel in the two concretes and for assessment of the influence of crack width on the corrosion rate within the crack zone.

Corrosion of steel reinforcements is the leading causes of malfunction or even failures of reinforced concrete (RC) structures nationwide and worldwide for many decades. This arises up to substantial economic burden on repairs and rehabilitations to maintain and extend their service life of those RC public projects. The inherent natures of glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP) bars, from their superior corrosion resistance to high strength-to-weight ratio, have promoted their acceptance as a viable alternative for steel reinforcement in civil infrastructures. Comprehensive understanding of the bond between GFRP bars and concrete, in particular under in-service conditions or extremely severe events, enables scientists and engineers to provide their proper design, assessment and long-term predictions, and ultimately to implement them toward the corrosion-free concrete products. This research aims to develop a holistic framework through an experimental, analytical and numerical study to gain deep understanding of the bond mechanism, behavior, and its long-term durability under harsh environments. The bond behavior and failure modes of GFRP bar to concrete are investigated through the accelerated aging tests with various environmental conditions, including alkaline and/or saline solutions, freezing-thawing cycles. The damage evolution of the bond is formulated from Damage Mechanics, while detailed procedures using the Arrhenius law and time shift factor approach are developed to predict the long-term bond degradation over time. Besides, the machine learning techniques of the artificial neural network integrated with the genetic algorithm are used for bond strength prediction and anchorage reliability assessment. Clearly, test data allow further calibration and verification of the analytical models and the finite element simulation. Bond damage evolution using the secant modulus of the bond-slip curves could effectively evaluate the interface degradation against slip and further identify critical factors that affect the bond design and assessment under the limit states. Long-term prediction reveals that the moisture content and elevated temperature could impact the material degradation of GFRP bars, thereby affecting their service life. In addition, the new attempt of the Data-to-Information concept using the machine learning techniques could yield valuable insight into the bond strength prediction and anchorage reliability analysis for their applications in RC structures. / ND NASA EPCoR (FAR0023941) / ND NSF EPSCoR (FAR0022364) / US DOT (FAR0025913)

No description available.