Numerous methods have been developed to measure corrosion potential relating to chloride infiltration in concrete, including an emerging application of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS involves measurements of electrical impedance to evaluate the corrosion potential of steel reinforcement in concrete. With EIS, current is injected vertically into the concrete bridge deck between the surface and the embedded reinforcing steel, usually the top mat, to evaluate the degree to which the reinforcing steel is protected from chloride infiltration by the entire bridge deck system. The objectives of this research were to 1) investigate the sensitivity of EIS measurements obtained at various frequencies to specific deck properties, 2) recommend a particular frequency or range in frequency at which impedance measurements can differentiate among various levels of corrosion protection for reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks, and 3) compare impedance values measured at the recommended frequency(ies) to more traditional test measurements relating to corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks. This research involved impedance testing of 25 concrete slabs, divided into five sets. The effects of sealant presence, curing time, temperature, moisture content, cover depth, water-to-cementitious materials ratio, air content, chloride concentration, and epoxy coating condition on individual impedance measurements were evaluated. For the controlled laboratory experiments, sealant presence, curing time, temperature, moisture content, cover depth, water-to-cementitious materials ratio, air content, and epoxy coating condition were shown to have a statistically significant effect on impedance measurements, with p-values less than 0.05. The statistical analyses indicated that impedance testing in the frequency range of approximately 100 Hz to 1 kHz would be expected to provide the best data about the degree to which the reinforcing steel is protected from chloride infiltration by a bridge deck system. In this frequency range, a high level of differentiation among levels of corrosion protection is expected, and a high speed of data collection is also possible. For the uncontrolled laboratory experiments, a single frequency of 200 Hz was selected for impedance testing. Statistical analyses were performed to compare impedance with more traditional test measurements relating to corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks. Longitudinal and transverse cover, dry and wet resistivity, dry and wet half-cell potential, dry linear polarization, and chloride concentration were determined to be correlated with impedance, with p-values less than 0.15.

The objectives of this research were to 1) monitor in-situ moisture and diffusivity for both conventional concrete and concrete containing pre-wetted lightweight fine aggregate (LWFA), 2) compare deck performance in terms of early-age cracking, compressive strength, and chloride ingress, and 3) compare concrete properties in terms of compressive strength, chloride permeability, elastic modulus, and water content in the laboratory using cylinders cast in the field at the time of deck construction. The research involved field and laboratory evaluations of four newly constructed bridge decks located in northern Utah, two constructed using conventional concrete and two constructed using pre-wetted LWFA to promote internal curing. Data from sensors embedded in the concrete decks indicate that the moisture content of the internally cured concrete was consistently 1.5 to 4 percentage points higher than the moisture content of the conventional concrete for the first 6 months following deck construction. By 1 year, however, the internally cured concrete showed little difference in moisture content compared to the conventional concrete. While the internally cured concrete decks had a higher average moisture content, the electrical conductivity values were not consistently higher than those measured on the conventional concrete decks during the first approximately 8 to 10 months. However, after 8 to 10 months, both internally cured concrete decks exhibited higher electrical conductivity values than those measured on the conventional concrete decks. Laboratory compressive strength data indicate that, for the first 6 months following deck construction, the two concrete mixtures exhibited very similar strength gain characteristics. However, at 1 year, the conventional concrete was stronger by an average of 12.9 percent, or nearly 900 psi, than the internally cured concrete. In rapid chloride permeability testing, the internally cured concrete consistently passed between 13.1 and 17.5 percent less current than that passed by the conventional concrete. Laboratory free-free resonant testing at 1 year showed that the modulus of the internally cured concrete was 3.9 percent lower, on average, than that of the conventional concrete. For the tested specimens, the moisture content of the internally cured concrete was 0.5 percentage points higher, on average, than that of the conventional concrete. In the field, Schmidt rebound hammer testing showed that the internally cured concrete was neither consistently stronger nor weaker than the conventional concrete. On average, the internally cured concrete exhibited higher chloride concentrations than the conventional concrete. On average, the conventional concrete bridge decks had 4.6, 21.5, and 2.8 times more cracking than the internally cured concrete decks at 5 months, 8 months, and 1 year, respectively. At 1 year, very distinctive reflection cracks from the joints between the underlying pre-cast half-deck panels were observed on all of the decks.

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of twisted steel micro rebar (TSMR) fibers on 1) the mechanical properties of concrete used in bridge deck construction and 2) the early cracking behavior of concrete bridge decks. This research involved the evaluation of four newly constructed bridge decks through a series of laboratory and field tests. At each location, one deck was constructed using a conventional concrete mixture without TSMR, and one was constructed using the same conventional concrete mixture with an addition of 40 lb of TSMR per cubic yard of concrete. Regarding laboratory testing, the conventional and TSMR beam specimens exhibited similar average changes in height after 4 months of shrinkage testing. The electrical impedance measurements did not indicate a notable difference between specimens comprising concrete with TSMR and those comprising conventional concrete. Although no notable difference in behavior between conventional and TSMR specimens was apparent before initial cracking, the toughness of the TSMR specimens was substantially greater than that of the conventional concrete specimens. Regarding field testing, sensors installed in the bridge decks indicated that the addition of TSMR does not affect internal concrete temperature, moisture content, or electrical conductivity. The average Schmidt rebound number varied little between the TSMR decks and conventional decks; therefore, the stiffness of the TSMR concrete was very similar to that of conventional concrete. Distress surveys showed that the conventional decks exhibited notably more cracking than the TSMR decks. The TSMR fibers exhibited the ability to limit both crack density and crack width. For all of the decks, chloride concentrations increased every year as a result of the use of deicing salts on the bridge decks during winter. However, the chloride concentrations for samples collected over cracked concrete increased more rapidly than those for samples collected over non-cracked concrete. Although TSMR fibers themselves do not directly affect the rate at which chloride ions penetrated cracked or non-cracked concrete, the fibers do prevent cracking, which, in turn, limits the penetration of chloride ions into the decks. Therefore, the use of TSMR would be expected to decrease the area of a bridge deck affected by cracking and subsequent chloride-induced corrosion damage and thereby increase the service life of the bridge deck.

Chloride-induced deterioration of concrete bridge decks can be described in terms of three phases: 1) initiation of rebar corrosion, 2) rust formation and development of deck damage, and 3) accelerated deck damage towards structural failure. The first objective of this research was to investigate relationships among chloride concentration at the top mat of reinforcing steel, deck age, cover depth, and occurrence of delamination for concrete bridge decks with selected surface treatments and rebar types. Relating these factors can help establish greater understanding about the duration of each phase of the deterioration process. A second objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between chloride concentrations that develop between the bars and those that develop directly above the bars in the top mat of reinforcing steel to better understand the effects of the presence of reinforcing steel on diffusion of chloride ions through the concrete matrix.Data collected from 48 concrete bridge decks in Utah were used to address both of the objectives stated for this research. Surface treatment types included bare concrete, thin-bonded polymer overlays, and asphalt overlays, and rebar types included uncoated and epoxy-coated rebar. Regarding the first objective, baseline relationships between chloride concentration, deck age, and cover depth were developed for all three deck types. The results show that, as deck age increases, chloride concentration also increases and that chloride concentrations are much higher for shallower concrete depths than for deeper concrete depths. Based on these relationships, the duration of the first phase of the deterioration process was estimated using the critical chloride threshold of 2.0 lb Cl-/yd3 of concrete. For decks with asphalt or polymer overlays, development of clear relationships between chloride concentration, deck age, and cover depth required consideration of treatment time. The data show that chloride concentrations for decks that had an overlay applied 10 or more years after construction are higher than those for decks that had an asphalt overlay applied immediately after construction. Relevant to determining the duration of the second phase of the deterioration process, the relationship between delamination occurrence and chloride concentration for bare concrete bridge decks was developed. In general, the results show that the occurrence of delamination increases with increasing chloride concentration. Estimated durations of the second phase of the deterioration process were then determined using a chloride concentration threshold of 4.0 lb Cl-/yd3 of concrete for each of the same combinations of surface treatment and cover depth used for determining durations of the first phase of the deterioration process. Regarding the performance of epoxy-coated bar, the data clearly demonstrate the benefit of epoxy coatings on reinforcing steel for the purpose of significantly delaying the onset of chloride-induced delamination in concrete bridge decks. The relationship between the ratio of chloride concentrations directly above and between steel reinforcing bars and deck age was then developed. The results show that, as deck age increases, the average ratio of chloride concentrations directly above and between the bars asymptotically decreases from above 1.5 toward 1.0, which is reached at a deck age of approximately 30 years. Given that increasing deck age generally corresponds to increasing chloride concentration, which would in turn eventually lead to similar chloride concentrations directly above and between bars as the concrete pore water within the cover depth approached chloride saturation, this observed relationship is consistent with theory.

The overall aim of the present thesis is to clarify the control of intracellular chloride homeostasis in central neurons, because of the critical role of chloride ions (Cl–) for neuronal function. Normal function of the central nervous system (CNS) depends on a delicate balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. Inhibition is, in the adult brain, most often mediated by the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA may, however, in some cases cause excitation. GABA acts by activating GABA type A receptors (GABAARs), which are ion channels largely permeable to Cl–. The effect of GABAAR-mediated neuronal signaling - inhibitory or excitatory - is therefore mainly determined by the Cl– gradient across the membrane. This gradient varies with neuronal activity and may be altered in pathological conditions. Thus, understanding Cl– regulation is important to comprehend neuronal function. This thesis is an attempt to clarify several unknown aspects of neuronal Cl– regulation. For such clarification, a sufficiently sensitive method for measuring the intracellular Cl– concentration, [Cl–]i, is necessary. In the first study of this thesis, we examined two electrophysiological methods commonly used to estimate [Cl–]i. Both methods, here called the interpolation and the voltage-ramp method, depend on an estimate of the Cl– equilibrium potential from the current-voltage relation of GABA- or glycine-evoked Cl– currents. Both methods also provide an estimate of the membrane Cl– conductance, gCl. With a combination of computational and electrophysiological techniques, we showed that the most common (interpolation) method failed to detect changes in [Cl–]i and gCl during prolonged GABA application, whereas the voltage-ramp method accurately detected such changes. Our analysis also provided an explanation as to why the two methods differ. In a second study, we clarified the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for the distribution of Cl– across the cell membrane of neurons from rat brain. It was recently proposed that immobile charges located within the ECM, rather than as previously thought cation-chloride transporter proteins, determine the low [Cl–]i which is critical to GABAAR-mediated inhibition. By using electrophysiological techniques to measure [Cl–]i, we showed that digestion of the ECM decreases the expression and function of the neuron-specific K+ Cl– cotransporter 2 (KCC2), which normally extrudes Cl- from the neuron, thus causing an increase in resting [Cl–]i. As a result of ECM degradation, the action of GABA may be transformed from inhibitory to excitatory. In a third study, we developed a method for quantifying the largely unknown resting Cl– (leak) conductance, gCl, and examined the role of gCl for the neuronal Cl– homeostasis. In isolated preoptic neurons from rat, resting gCl was about 6 % of total resting conductance, to a major part due to spontaneously open GABAARs and played an important role for recovery after a high Cl– load. We also showed that spontaneous, impulse-independent GABA release can significantly enhance recovery when the GABA responses are potentiated by the neurosteroid allopregnanolone. In a final commentary, we formulated the mathematical relation between Cl– conductance, KCC2-mediated Cl– extrusion capacity and steady-state [Cl–]i. In summary, the present thesis (i) clarifies how well common electrophysiological methods describe [Cl–]i and gCl, (ii) provides a novel method for quantifying gCl in cell membranes and (iii) clarifies the roles of the ECM, ion channels and ion transporters in the control of [Cl–]i homeostasis and GABAAR-mediated signaling in central neurons.

Half-cell potential testing has been recommended as a non-destructive method for assessing the corrosion potential of reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks. The technique is particularly useful because it can be utilized to evaluate the probability of corrosion before damage is evident at the surface of a bridge deck. The specific objective of this research was to quantify the effects of age, chloride concentration, concrete cover thickness, spatial position, temperature, and presence or condition of epoxy coating on half-cell potential measurements of concrete bridge decks typical of those in Utah. The laboratory testing associated with this research followed a full-factorial experimental design. Nine rectangular concrete slab specimens were prepared, each containing three black reinforcing steel bars at three different concrete cover depths and four epoxy-coated bars each having different coating conditions. Three replicate slabs were created at each of three different chloride concentrations. Three repeated measurements were made at each of three locations along each of the seven bars in all nine of the slabs at three ages, with testing performed at three temperatures per age. In addition, compressive strengths of the concrete cylinders were measured at 7 and 28 days. Statistical analyses of the half-cell potentials were performed using analysis of variation and Tukey's method for multiple comparisons. Although American Society for Testing and Materials C 876 only specifies the measuring of half-cell potentials of uncoated reinforcing steel, credible half-cell potentials were also obtained for epoxy-coated rebar in this research. The results of the testing indicated that all of the factors except for cover thickness and spatial position have important impacts on half-cell potentials over the ranges of levels investigated in this research. Half-cell potential measurements became consistently less negative with increasing age and consistently more negative with increasing chloride concentrations and increasing temperature. With regard to the factor of treatment, the uncoated rebar had the most negative half-cell potential, followed by epoxy-coated rebar with rib scrapes, pliers strikes, end cuts, and full epoxy coatings, in that order. While these data indicate that a coating, even damaged, reduces the probability of corrosion when compared to uncoated rebar, the data also suggest that both the amount and distribution of the coating damage over the affected rebar influence corrosion. Given these research findings, bridge engineers and managers should have confidence in using half-cell potential testing for assessing the corrosion probability of reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks. In decks with properties similar to those investigated in this research, variations in age, chloride concentration, temperature, and presence or condition of epoxy coating cause variation in half-cell potential readings consistent with the effects of these factors on corrosion. Therefore, the half-cell potential technique is recommended for assessing the probability of corrosion of reinforcing steel on bridge decks. Although the use of epoxy-coated reinforcement, even when damaged, reduces the probability of corrosion, care should still be taken to minimize any damage to the coating during shipping and field handling. Owners and contractors alike should establish appropriate inspection protocols and repair methods for epoxy-coated reinforcing steel used on bridge decks to ensure maximum service life.