Evaluation of coated rebar validity of short‐term accelerated corrosion tests in relation to long‐term field evaluation

Abstract

It is now fairly well established that steel reinforcements need some additional protection and various types of coatings such as fusion‐bonded epoxy, galvanizing and cement slurry have been used. Evaluation of such coated rebars in aggressive marine conditions is done usually by conducting some accelerated corrosion tests. These accelerated corrosion tests cannot be truly representative of field conditions and they often give higher corrosion rates. Validity of such tests becomes questionable. In the present work, corrosion rates of cement slurry‐coated rebars, obtained by ASTM impressed voltage test, salt‐spray test, precracked cantilever model slab test, alternate wetting and drying test and macrocell corrosion test, have been compared with uncoated rebars. It is shown that for a passivating type of coating such as cement slurry, accelerated corrosion tests could be equally valid.

Citation

Rengaswamy, N.S., Vedhalakshmi, R. and Balakrishnan, K. (1995), "Evaluation of coated rebar validity of short‐term accelerated corrosion tests in relation to long‐term field evaluation", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 7-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb007358