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Applicability discussion for multi-peak Gaussian model of corrosion layer at steel/concrete interfaces

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Abstract

The corrosion of the steel bars of two reinforced concrete specimens subjected to different chloride ingress environments for 13 years was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. A multi-peak Gaussian model has been applied for the distinctive shape of the corrosion layer observed in these systems. The influence of macroscopic voids (10−5–10−2 m in diameter) at the steel–concrete interface (SCI) on the corrosion process and the relationship between the shape of the corrosion layer and the location of the cracks are discussed. The width-to-height ratio Rwh of the corrosion layer is proposed, according to the calculation of coefficients of the multi-peak Gaussian model to describe the shape of the corrosion products at the SCI. The distinctive influence of natural and artificial chloride environment on the corrosion process are quantified by this model, demonstrating the applicability of the model to reinforced concrete exposed for long durations to severed corrosive environments.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from the National Key R&D Programme of China through Grant No. 2017YFC0806101 is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to thank Dr. H. Yokota from Hokkaido University and Dr. E. Kato from Port and Airport Research Institute for their support. The specimens and the information that they provided were used in this work. X. Zhang is grateful with the British Council and the China Scholarship Council for an international studentship sponsoring her visit to University of Leeds in 2019–20.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Structural Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaowen Zhang & Yuxi Zhao

  2. School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Susan A. Bernal

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  1. Xiaowen Zhang
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  2. Yuxi Zhao
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  3. Susan A. Bernal
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Correspondence to Yuxi Zhao.

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Zhang, X., Zhao, Y. & Bernal, S.A. Applicability discussion for multi-peak Gaussian model of corrosion layer at steel/concrete interfaces. Mater Struct 54, 55 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-021-01651-8

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