This study involved a comparative investigation of chloride-induced corrosion detection techniques on loaded reinforced concrete slabs which were exposed to deicing salts and wetting-drying cycles to simulate typical aggressive environments in cold climates. The studied techniques involved linear polarization technique, galvanostatic pulse technique, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, half-cell potential and concrete electrical resistivity mapping. The results showed that concrete quality and moisture content have a direct effect on corrosion activity, and these properties are represented well with concrete electrical resistivity. The galvanostatic pulse technique was shown to correlate well with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, which was used as a benchmark for corrosion rate measurements in this study; however, the galvanostatic pulse technique was not capable of detecting corrosion activity in saturated concrete accurately. The results of this research do not support the criteria provided by the ASTM C876-09 standard for using half-cell potentials to estimate the probability of reinforcing steel corrosion in reinforced concrete structures.

Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures poses a risk reduction of durability and ability to perform the required function of structures for which they were designed.The objective of this work was to study the effectiveness of a new type of corrosion inhibitor with different concentrations of the active substance and its comparison with commercial products. The corrosion inhibitors were part of a comprehensive system repair materials from Betosan s.r.o. and using the electrical measurements was studied their effect in reducing corrosion activity caused by aggressive chloride environments.

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.

In this thesis, a Sb/C composite electrode for sodium-ion batteries isprepared by a simple high energy ball milling and calenderingmethod. The prepared Sb/C composite electrode was assembled in ahalf-cell and symmetrical cell setups in order to perform avariety of electrochemical measurements.The composite electrode showed a reversible specific capacity of595 mAh/g, at a discharge/charge current rate of 15 mA/g. Theelectrode also showed a relatively good performance (compared toprevious studies) of 95% capacity retention after more than 100cycles, at a higher discharge/charge current rate of 60 mA/g. Theelectrode furthermore showed excellent self-dischargecharacteristics, in pause tests implemented over 200 hours (overeight days), which underlined the electrode materials good shelflife properties. A series of Sb/C symmetrical cells assembledthrough-out the project, furthermore, highlighted the stability ofthe solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer formed on the Sb/Ccomposite electrode during cycling. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used tocharacterize the surface morphology and composition of the Sb/Celectrode, respectively.A non-milled and milled (12 hours) graphite electrodes were alsoprepared for reference and comparison. The milled graphite matrixelectrode provided a reversible capacity of 95 mAhg-1 and acoulombic efficiency (CE) of 99% in over 250 cycles, at a currentrate of 30 mA/g. Milled and non-milled graphite were characterizedwith SEM and Raman spectroscopy, to help have a fundamentalunderstanding of the particle size and material phase,respectively.

Adjacent precast, prestressed box beam bridges have a history of poor performance and have been observed to exhibit common types of deterioration including longitudinal cracking, concrete spalling, and deterioration of the concrete top flange. The nature of these types of deterioration leads to uncertainty of the extent and effect of deterioration on structural behavior. Due to limitations in previous research and understanding of the strength of deteriorated box beam bridges, conservative assumptions are being made for the assessment and load rating of these bridges. Furthermore, the design of new box beam bridges, which can offer an efficient and economical solution, is often discouraged due to poor past performance. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop improved recommendations for the inspection, load rating, and design of adjacent box beam bridges. Through a series of bridge inspections, deteriorated box beams were identified and acquired for experimental testing. The extent of corrosion was determined through visual inspection, non-destructive evaluation, and destructive evaluation. Non-destructive tests (NDT) included the use of connectionless electrical pulse response analysis (CEPRA), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and half-cell potentials. The deteriorated capacity was determined through structural testing, and an analysis procedure was developed to estimate deteriorated behavior. A rehabilitation procedure was also developed to restore load transfer of adjacent beams in cases where shear key failures are suspected. Based on the understanding of deterioration developed through study of deteriorated adjacent box beam bridges, improved inspection and load rating procedure are provided along with design recommendations for the next generation of box beam bridges.