Methodology for Service Life Prediction of Stainless Steel Reinforced Structures Based on the Correlation between Electrochemical and Mechanical Manifestations of Corrosion Available to Purchase

The use of stainless steel reinforcement is recommended for structures exposed to chloride contamination. Concrete structures reinforced with stainless steel are more durable than common carbon steel reinforced structures. In some projects, service lives of 120 and 200 years have been projected. Long-term field experience, which confirms these predictions, is not available. It would be very useful to obtain an acceptable approach to service life prediction. This paper proposes a methodology using the integration of electrochemical and mechanical behavior of the stainless steel rebar corroding in accelerated tests. The studied material is a 10 mm diameter 316L stainless steel bar. The carbon steel bar was included as part of the comparative performance study. The first part of the study analyzes corrosion potential data and potentiodynamic curves. The other part of the study is dedicated to the physical-mechanical consequences of the corrosion in the bars: the bond and tensile strength losses. Integrating both parts of the study and with the aid of some models allowed an approach to the service life prediction of structures reinforced with stainless steel rebars. Some questions for future work are presented.