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Corrosion of Steel Rebar Embedded in Ternary Blended Concrete Exposed to

High Humidity Environment

Article  in  SSRN Electronic Journal · January 2023

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4447482

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Proceedings of MARTEC 2022
The International Conference on Marine Technology
21-22 December 2022, BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh

CORROSION OF STEEL REBAR EMBEDDED IN TERNARY BLENDED CONCRETE

EXPOSED TO HIGH HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT

Kazi Naimul Hoque1 and Francisco Presuel-Moreno2

1 2
Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Atlantic University (FAU), Dania Beach, Florida, USA
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh E-mail: fpresuel@fau.edu
E-mail: kazinaim@name.buet.ac.bd

ABSTRACT
Specimens were prepared with two different ternary blended concrete mixes. One mix contains cement replacement
of 20% fly ash and 50% slag (termed as T1), while the other contains cement replacement of 20% fly ash and 8%
silica fume (termed as T2). Five (T1) or six (T2) single rebar specimens were prepared per concrete mix with a 0.75
cm concrete cover (0.3 in). The water to cementitious ratio of T1 and T2 concrete mixes were 0.41 and 0.37
respectively. Embedded single rebar sections had a radius of 0.47 cm. On the top surface of the specimens, different
size reservoirs were attached, ranging from 5 cm to 15 cm. The reservoirs were filled with NaCl solution with 10%
concentration. Corrosion initiation occurred by the application of accelerated chloride transport method, and it lasted
anywhere from a week to a few months. For ternary blended concrete mixes, the influence of rebar length under the
reservoir was analyzed. Subsequently, the electrochemical behavior of the specimens was assessed using
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and linear polarization resistance techniques. The corrosion related
parameters such as rebar potential, solution resistance and corrosion current were monitored for around 500 days.
Based on the experimental findings, it was observed that the corrosion current values for T1 concrete mixes were
found to be larger than those of corrosion current values for T2 concrete mixes.

Keywords: Corrosion, Steel rebar, Reservoir length, Fly ash, Slag, Silica fume, Corrosion current.

1. INTRODUCTION

High quality and durable concrete are required to
reduce the rapid deterioration of concrete prepared
marine structures in severe conditions. Chloride-ion
penetration into concrete has been regarded as the main
cause of degradation among factors such as corrosion,
alkali-silica interaction, freezing and thawing,
carbonation, and others that are associated to a
deterioration in the durability of concrete. Ingress of
chloride-ions destroys the natural passivity of the surface
of reinforcing steel, and often leads to the corrosion of
steel in concrete structures. Reinforcement corrosion is
therefore accelerated by inadequate concrete cover or
poor-quality concrete. Because of chloride-ion attacks,
environmental conditions in offshore or coastal regions
reduce the effective service life of concrete structures.
Concrete's durability is specifically known to be
significantly increased by silica fume. However, fly ash
and/or slag are often used as alternatives because of their
lower workability and higher cost. According to Torii [5,
6], the resistance to chloride penetration of concrete
made with 50% ground granulated blast-furnace slag
(GGBS) was like that of concrete prepared with 10%
silica fume. When hydrated, supplementary cementitious
materials like fly ash, silica fume, blast-furnace slag, etc.
which are employed as fine granulates, has the capacity
to partially obstruct pores and voids. As a result, the
effective diffusivity of either chloride or other species is
decreased, and the pore size is reduced. It is hypothesized
that these actions lead to an increase in the concrete's
resistivity.

Previous research [1-4] has demonstrated that using
cement replacement like fly ash, silica fume, blast-
furnace slag, etc. may significantly lower the likelihood
of steel corrosion as well as the permeability of concrete.
In this paper, two different ternary blended concrete
mixes were prepared. The length of the anode was altered
by changing the size of the solution reservoir.
Accelerated chloride transport method tended to
accelerate the chloride ions' ability to penetrate the

52-1

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concrete. The method was developed using the findings
of past investigations [7]. Rebar corrosion typically
initiates after a few weeks or months. Measurements of
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and linear
polarization resistance were performed to monitor the
evolution of corrosion. The corrosion current, rebar
potential, and solution resistance were measured over a
period of about 500 days.
2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
2.1 Materials and mix proportions
Reinforced concrete mixes named T1 and T2 were
prepared in August 2016. Mix T1 contains both fly ash &
blast furnace slag and mix T2 contains both fly ash &
silica fume as a cement replacement. Table 1 describes
the concrete mixtures in detail. Specifications of the
concrete mixes are provided in appendix 2 of reference
[8]. The segment of the rebars were sized and wire
brushed. Hexane solution was employed to clean the
reinforcement of any grease before casting.
These specimens had measurements of 30.5 cm x 12.7
cm x 7.6 cm (12 in x 5 in x 3 in). These single rebar
sections had a radius of 0.47 cm with #3 rebars. Five (T1)
or six (T2) single rebar specimens were prepared per
concrete mix with a 0.75 cm concrete cover (0.3 in). Each
rebar was drilled and tapped properly. This procedure
was done to establish an electrical contact for corrosion
monitoring.
All specimens have stainless steel mesh (or titanium
mix metal oxide, or "TiMMO") embedded on the top side
at the time of casting. This surface served as the bottom
surface during the experiment. Chloride transport was
accelerated using the mesh. Meshes were positioned in
the center of the rebar and had lengths of 5 cm to 15 cm,
a width of around 3 cm. After a day, the molds were taken
out and brought to the fog room for curing.
2.2 Preparation for the experimental setup
Following casting, the samples were stored for
approximately a month in a very humid environment at
Corrosion of steel rebar embedded in ternary blended concrete exposed to high humidity environment
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4447482
Proceedings of MARTEC 2022 hosted on SSRN.com
the State Materials Office (SMO) of the Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT). These samples
were transferred to the FAU-SeaTech campus at the end
of September 2016 in preparation for the experiment's
next stage. These samples were first kept at FAU-
SeaTech in a high humidity chamber before the solution
reservoir was setup. The samples were transferred to the
laboratory setting (65% RH and 21°C) after the solution
reservoir was installed. A plastic reservoir was attached
to the top surface using marine adhesives. After casting,
the reservoir was installed at least 40 days later. A 10%
concentration of NaCl solution was added to the
reservoir. There were meant to be various corroding
lengths. The samples were stored in high humidity for 3
to 7 days before each reservoir was filled with solution.
The top surface of the solution reservoir was
positioned with electrodes composed of stainless-steel
wire mesh or TiMMO mesh with sizes like those
embedded. For each specimen, a saturated calcium
hydroxide solution was added to a portion of the concrete
specimen measuring about one cm. Each sample was
placed on top of a white plastic mesh. This procedure was
used to reduce the capacity of concrete to leach
chemicals.
2.3 Accelerated chloride transport
A potential hold was formed between the top and the
bottom meshes using a power source. An electric field
was then used to drive the chlorides in the solution above
each rebar into the concrete and in the direction of the
embedded rebar. The electrode in the NaCl solution was
connected to the negative terminal of the power source.
Each specimen's embedded mesh was connected to the
positive terminal of the power supply. Figure 1 shows
some of the selected samples that were subjected to
accelerated chloride transport process.
Accelerated chloride transport method was performed
on each specimen. A 9 V applied potential was initially
employed. When the rebar potential was assessed in
relation to a saturated calomel reference electrode while
the electric field was still active, a potential higher than
+2V was noticed. The applied voltage was decreased to
3 V after 7 days. The delta potential across a 100-ohm
resistor was used to calculate the amount of current
being applied when a specific voltage was supplied for
52-2

several days at a time. The rebar potential was measured
in relation to a saturated calomel reference electrode
when the system was switched off. The rebars were
polarized by an ionic current driven by the applied
electric field, despite not being connected. If the most
recent rebar potential measurement revealed that
corrosion had not occurred after monitoring the rebar
potential for a while (often up to two hours) with the
system disconnected, the applied potential was restarted.
Until the specimen showed an off-rebar potential (a value
of -0.150 Vsce or more negative), which may indicate the
start of corrosion in that embedded rebar, the accelerated
chloride transport process was continued. Previous
research has shown that corrosion starts at a potential of
-0.150 Vsce (-0.220 V vs. CSE) [7].
Figure 1. Selected samples during the accelerated
chloride transport process
Table 2 shows how each sample was labeled. This table
also includes the sample name/ID, reservoir length, and
the start and end dates of electromigration. There is also
a column that displays the calculated Ampere-hour
applied.
Corrosion of steel rebar embedded in ternary blended concrete exposed to high humidity environment
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4447482
Proceedings of MARTEC 2022 hosted on SSRN.com
3. MONITORING OF CORROSION
PROPAGATION
Using a saturated calomel reference electrode, the
potential of the rebar was periodically monitored during
the corrosion propagation stage. At least two days after
the system was disconnected, the solution resistance (Rs)
and corrected polarization resistance (Rc) were
measured. The apparent polarization resistance less the
solution resistance gives the Rc value. In November
2016, EIS and LPR measurements were initiated. The
impedance magnitude used for the solution resistance
(Rs) was 54.51 Hz, and the frequency range for the EIS
test was 10 kHz to 1 Hz. The LPR test ranged from 10
mV below the open circuit potential to 1 mV above
it. After around six months, the LPR test was performed
from the open circuit potential to 8 mV below it. The scan
rate was selected to be either 0.1 mV/s or 0.05 mV/s.
During the accelerated chloride transport period,
measurements of the rebar potential, EIS, and LPR were
performed (but after the system had been off for at least
two days). After the chloride transport was stopped, these
measurements were done once a month. Rc values
obtained from LPR/EIS readings were converted to
corrosion current (Icorr) where the corroding area is
unknown. The Icorr was determined using the Stern-
Geary equation i.e., Icorr = B/Rp where Rp is the
polarization resistance (defined previously as Rc) and B
is the Stern-Geary coefficient that ranged from 13 to 52
mV depending on the steel's corrosion condition (i.e.,
passive, or active) [9, 10]. Therefore, a value of 26 mV
was used for this study.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Day zero in the preceding figure represents the addition
of the solution to the installed solution reservoir rather
than the age of the specimen. Corrosion propagation
was depicted in the figure to the right of the dashed line.
52-3

The after-migration period is shown by the arrow mark
that follows the dashed lines (to the right of them). If
there are two black dashed lines, the range reflects the
total amount of time that the samples were subjected to
accelerated chloride transport, and the blue prisms inside
represent the precisely measured amount of time that the
electric field was applied (i.e., system on).
Figure 2. Rs, Rc, and rebar potential measured on
selected rebar for T1 sample under 15 cm reservoir
Figure 3. Rs, Rc, and rebar potential measured on
selected rebar for T2 sample under 15 cm reservoir
Figure 2 shows the Rs, Rc, and rebar potential
measured on specimen T1-8. After suspending the
accelerated chloride transport process, the rebar potential
values were more negative than -0.150 Vsce. The rebar
potential value dropped significantly on day 147 reaching
a value of -0.567 Vsce. Rc values tended to oscillate but
were less than 1.3 k throughout the monitored
corrosion propagation period. During the subsequent
corrosion monitoring period, Rs increased gradually as
the day progresses. Although it oscillated slightly from
Corrosion of steel rebar embedded in ternary blended concrete exposed to high humidity environment
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4447482
Proceedings of MARTEC 2022 hosted on SSRN.com
day 147, specimen T1-8's rebar potential stayed more
negative than –0.400 Vsce thereafter.
The Rs, Rc, and rebar potentials that were measured on
specimen T2-11 are depicted in Figure 3. The rebar
potential slightly decreased after the accelerated chloride
transport procedure was stopped. and the potential
became –0.273 Vsce by day 96. An oscillating trend of
Rc was observed throughout the monitored period. The
Rs values tended to plateau from day 146 to day 370 and
were in the range of 2.8-3.5 k during the most period of
propagation stage. Starting on day 96, the rebar potential
tended to drift towards more positive values and were
stayed more negative than –0.150 Vsce. Reference [8, 11,
12, 13] contains the figures for the other T1 and T2
specimens.
Table 3 shows the average Rs, Rc, and rebar potential
values obtained from LPR/EIS readings for T1 and T2
single rebar specimens. The measurements taken
between January 2017 and February 2018 were included
to calculate these averages. In case of T1 specimens, it
was observed that the largest Rs(average) and largest
Rc(average) values were for the rebars that are embedded
in specimens having the smaller solution reservoir of 5
cm. On the other hand, the lowest Rs(average) and lowest
Rc(average) values were found for the rebars embedded
in specimens with the longer solution reservoir of 15 cm.
In the case of T2 specimens, it was found that the rebars
embedded in the specimens with the smaller solution
reservoir of 5 cm, had the largest Rs(average) and
largest Rc(average) values. On the other hand, the rebars
embedded in specimens with the longer solution
reservoir of 15 cm had the lowest Rs(average) and lowest
Rc(average) values. For all the specimens, the average
rebar potential values were more negative than -0.150
Vsce. For the rebars embedded in T1 specimens having
15 cm reservoir length, it was observed that the average
rebar potential values were more negative than -0.400
Vsce. It is significant to note that any rebar outside of the
concrete as well as any portion of the rebar not directly
below the reservoir affected the measured rebar potential
and other readings. In some cases, the moisture content
was so high that the rebar that was outside of the concrete
and exposed to the air corroded. The latter most likely
had an impact on the Rc values and the rebar potential.
Figure 4 summarizes the correlation between the average
Rs (concrete solution resistance) and the length of the
solution reservoir for T1 and T2 concrete mixes cast with
a single rebar. For both T1 and T2 concrete mixes, it has
been noticed that the maximum average Rs value was for
the rebars containing solution reservoir of 5 cm, while
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 Proceedings of MARTEC 2022 hosted on SSRN.com

rebars having 15 cm solution reservoir had the minimum lowest average Icorr was for T2-5 (reservoir length of 5
average Rs value. cm). It was reported that the Icorr values were ranged
from 9.7-25.3 µA for T2 specimens [14].

Figure 4. Variation of average Rs (concrete solution

resistance) with length of solution reservoir for T1 and
T2 concrete mixes cast with single rebar

Table 4 highlights the Icorr average and STD values

obtained from LPR/EIS readings for T1 and T2 single
rebar specimens. The measurements taken between
September 2017 and February 2018 were included to
calculate these averages. It was observed that for T1
sample having a reservoir length of 15 cm, Icorr average
& STD values for T1-6, and T1-8 were 42.15 μA, and
27.73 μA & 7.33 μA, and 6.93 μA respectively. In case
of 10 cm reservoir length for T1 sample, it was found that
Icorr average & STD values for T1-9 were 26.28 μA &
7.91 μA. For T1 sample having a 5 cm reservoir length,
it was observed that the Icorr average & STD values for
T1-7, and T1-10 were 12.48 μA, and 8.62 μA & 7.78 μA,
and 1.78 μA respectively. It was noted that for T2 sample
having a reservoir length of 15 cm, Icorr average & STD
values for T2-2, and T2-11 were 15.02 μA, and 11.72 μA
& 5.06 μA, and 2.51 μA respectively. In case of 10 cm
reservoir length for T2 sample, it was observed that the
Icorr average & STD values for T2-4 were 17.58 μA &
2.18 μA. For T2 sample having a 5 cm reservoir length,
it was noticed that the Icorr average & STD values for
T2-1, T2-3, and T2-5 were 10.53 μA, 9.19 μA, and 7.36
μA & 2.89 μA, 2.67 μA, and 1.47 μA respectively. It was
interesting to note that for T1 sample, the rebar with the
largest average Icorr was the rebar embedded in sample
T1-6 (reservoir length of 15 cm), whereas the lowest Figure 5 summarizes the relationship between the
average Icorr was for T1-10 (reservoir length of 5 cm). average corrosion current and the length of the solution
In case of T2 sample, it was observed that the rebar with reservoir for T1 and T2 concrete mixes cast with a single
the largest average Icorr was the rebar embedded in rebar. Using the LPR/EIS method, the average corrosion
sample T2-4 (reservoir length of 10 cm), whereas the current values were derived from the readings taken
between September 2017 and February 2018.

Corrosion of steel rebar embedded in ternary blended concrete exposed to high humidity environment 52-5

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4447482


Figure 5. Variation of average corrosion current with
length of solution reservoir for T1 and T2 concrete mixes
cast with single rebar
5. CONCLUSIONS
Based on this study's accelerated chlorine transport
approach, corrosion initiated on all the specimens within
a few weeks after the chloride transport being expedited.
The corrosion propagation was monitored for at least
300 days. The length of the solution reservoirs had a
significant impact on the electrochemical experiments'
corrosion current readings. For the rebars embedded in
T1 and T2 concrete specimens, it was observed that the
corrosion current value increases with the length of the
solution reservoir, except for rebars that were embedded
in T2 specimens with a solution reservoir of 15 cm. The
corrosion current values were larger for T1 specimens
while comparing with T2 specimens for similar reservoir
lengths. Therefore, it can be concluded that the
specimens prepared with T2 concrete mixes are more
durable than those of specimens prepared with T1
concrete mixes.
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Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4447482
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