Damage analysis and cracking model of reinforced concrete structures with rebar corrosion

The damage of concrete cover in reinforced concrete structures induced by reinforcing steel corrosion is investigated in this study. The damage process of the concrete cover can be divided into two distinct stages: the non-cracking stage and the partial cracking stage. An analytical model based on damage mechanics and elastic mechanics is developed to predict the concrete cracking due to steel corrosion. Based on this model, the expansive pressure and the radial loss of steel bar are discussed. Parametric studies are carried out to examine the effects of the correlative factors on the expansive pressure and the steel loss.     

Experimental and probabilistic analysis of time to corrosion-induced cover cracking for marine reinforced concrete structures

Corrosion-induced concrete cover cracking is an important indication of durability limit state for marine reinforced concrete structures. In this paper, two analytical models predicting the time from corrosion initiation to cover cracking and their main differences were introduced. Based on an accelerated corrosion test, two models’ applicability and variability were compared and discussed with experimental data. Considering the random nature of influencing factors, a probabilistic model was developed by using Monte Carlo simulation technique. The results showed that the cracking time could be modelled by the Weibull distribution. Finally, the probability analytical technology was applied to a marine reinforced concrete pier with four different durability design levels. It is found that both the mean and 90% confidence interval of the cracking time increase when the durability design specifications change from low level to extreme level, which indicates that the accurate prediction of cracking time with a deterministic model will become more difficult accordingly.     

Electrochemical realkalisation for rehabilitation of reinforced concrete structures

In steel reinforced and prestressed concrete structures depassivation of the reinforcing steel can take place due to carbonation of the concrete cover. Depending on humidity and oxygen availability subsequent corrosion reactions will be initiated. Such conditions require measures to exclude corrosion induced damages during the designed lifetime of the structure. In the last few years an electrochemical realkalisation treatment has been proposed as adequate rehabilitation technique for carbonated concrete. This temporary treatment should increase the pH-value of the concrete pore water solution due to penetration of alkaline electrolyte from the concrete surface as well as repassivate the reinforcement due to electro chemical reactions at the steel surface. In order to clarify the different mechanisms taking place during electrochemical realkalisation laboratory tests have been carried out using carbonated reinforced mortar specimens. The investigations were aimed at checking the influence of various parameters, e.g. treatment time and current density, as well as the efficiency and long-term durability of this rehabilitation method.     

Cathodic protection of new and old reinforced concrete structures

Current and potential distributions measured on concrete slabs and simulated by computer modelling are discussed in relation with the application of cathodic protection to new reinforced structures as a corrosion preventive method. The results show high penetration of cathodic protection over the depth of uncontaminated concrete, so that even a rebar relatively distant from the anode can be polarized, whereas the penetration is limited to the rebars near to the anode in chloride contaminated slabs with corroding rebars. The great throwing power and the wide range of protection potentials for uncorroding concrete structure enable safe application of the cathodic protection even to new prestressed structures.     

Thermodynamic analysis of inclusion in weld

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焊缝内夹杂物的热力学分析

采用Ｘ射线能谱仪（ＥＤＡＸ），扫描电镜（ＳＥＭ），电子探针（ＥＰＭＡ）以及微粒分析仪（ＭＰＡ）实验手段和热力学分析方法，研究了轻稀土合金对焊缝金属内夹杂物的冶金作用。结果表明，轻稀土合金过渡到焊缝后，起着净化和变质处理作用。而且，它的脱氧作用比其脱硫作用要强。     

Present and future durability challenges for reinforced concrete structures

This paper sums up the International RILEM Workshop on Present and Future Durability Challenges for Reinforced Concrete Structures, held at ETH Zurich in Switzerland on 17–18 April 2012. Major focus is put on the discussions. During the latter it was revealed that one of the key durability challenges lies in predicting the performance of new materials, where the increasing diversity of cement and concrete plays a major role. As most current engineering models are not capable of predicting actual field performance adequately, a knowledge‐based approach to durability will become more important than ever. Only a scientific approach on a multi‐scale and interdisciplinary level will allow predicting the performance of new materials (where no long‐term experience is available for fitting purposes). This will facilitate the use of more performance‐based durability design that is urgently needed to promote innovative, long‐lasting solutions.     

Embeddable reference electrodes for corrosion monitoring of reinforced concrete structures

Mixed‐metal oxide (MMO), graphite and laboratory‐made Ag/AgCl electrodes were electrochemically characterized to be used as reference electrodes embedded in concrete structures. Electrodes were studied in both, aqueous solutions of pH ranging from 7 to 13.5 and embedded into cement mortars; and the electrochemical studies were carried out in the absence and presence of chloride ions. Potential evolution, polarisation behaviour, galvanostatic pulse response and impedance characteristics of the electrodes were carried out in aqueous solutions. Besides, the electrochemical stability of the electrodes embedded in mortar was studied for an exposure period of two years. It was found that the MMO pseudo‐reference electrode is pH‐sensitive, the graphite pseudo‐reference electrode is oxygen sensitive and the Ag/AgCl pseudo‐reference electrode is chloride sensitive. Then, regarding the corrosion monitoring of steel rebars, care should be taken to avoid misleading interpretations of the corrosion potential measurements. However, any of them can be used to measure the corrosion rate of the rebars by means of traditional electrochemical techniques.     

Evaluation of deterioration in reinforced concrete structures by AE technique

Acoustic emission (AE) technique is gaining increasing interest for applications in civil engineering. AE indeed is a passive nonintrusive technique that can be applicable either in structural health monitoring (global evaluation) and in defect localization (local evaluation). The most promising application of such a technique seems to be however in the evaluation of growing defects. Defects such as cracks and delamination can be caused by reinforcement corrosion as well as by other concrete deterioration mechanisms (alkali silica reaction, sulphate attack, etc.) as well as originating from improper concrete casting, curing or structure setting. Damage severity can be evaluated by means of the intensity analysis (IA) through the use of different indexes such as ‘Load Ratio’, ‘Calm Ratio’, ‘Felicity Ratio’ or ‘Historical Index’. Damage evolution analysis along time could be however significantly improved by adopting some procedure already used in the field of geophysics and earth science. Among various parameters, the most significant one is the b‐value which is derived from the amplitude distribution data of AE following the methods used in seismology. Several application examples applied to prestressed concrete structures are reported in the paper.     

Several questions about electrochemical rehabilitation methods for reinforced concrete structures

Electrochemical realkalisation (ERA) and electrochemical chloride removal (ECR) have shown their capacity to eliminate, in just a few weeks, the causes of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures (RCS), and for this reason are currently receiving very special attention. Nevertheless, the present state of the art has not progressed enough to dissipate doubts about the efficiency of ERA and ECR as electrochemical rehabilitation methods (ERM) for corroding RCS. A series of highly important questions persist, and continue to be cause of controversy among specialists in the construction sector, which can be summed up in one all-encompassing question, namely:

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Is removing the sources of corrosion in RCS sufficient to stop rusting?To obtain a response to this capital question, electrochemical corrosion analysis techniques are used to study the responses of clean and precorroded steel electrodes embedded in small mortar specimens without chloride additions and large mortar slabs with and without chloride contamination. According to the results obtained, ERM are efficient in delaying the start of corrosion if used preventively. However, if applied too late they do not assure the repassivation of rebars with high precorrosion levels and consequently are not useful.

     

Diagnosing the cause of incipient anodes in repaired reinforced concrete structures

The incipient anode (or halo) effect often occurs on repaired reinforced concrete structures. The diagnosis of this problem is widely reported to be macrocell activity. This diagnosis is based on very limited data. Indeed potential measurements on field structures repaired with proprietary materials have provided data that suggest that macrocell activity is not a cause of incipient anode formation. Alternative mechanisms that may cause incipient anode activity include repair/parent material interface effects, residual chloride contamination within the parent concrete, and/or vibration damage to the steel/parent concrete interface during repair area preparation.     

Cost effectiveness and application of online monitoring in reinforced concrete structures

The annual costs for the maintenance of the Swiss national road networks amount to SFr. 560–640 millions 1 . Due to the limited means and the large number of engineering structures at the critical age between 30 and 45 years cost‐effective solutions for the monitoring and the maintenance of these structures have to be found 2 . In this paper the life cycle costs of an engineering structure using a sensor network (online‐monitoring system) were investigated. These costs were compared to the costs of classical inspection techniques.     

Application of radar technology to reinforced concrete structures: a case study

The radar technology, used to perform investigations on the civil buildings, derives from that used for investigations of the ground known with the name of Georadar. This is diffusing rapidly among the investigation methodology not destructive in the field of the structural engineering. It is based on the sending of electromagnetic waves of very short length and the recording of the time of arrival and of the breadth of any signals reflected on the interface between materials with a different dielectric constant. The aim of this paper is to present the operating methodologies and the results achieved by the application in the field of radar methodologies to map utilities, and for applications to civil building with special regard to the determination of the intern morphology, to the lack of homogeneity research and defectiveness and to the determination of the location of the steel reinforcements.Specifically, the system used, made up of one apparatus of field acquisition and another of delayed processing, seems to be able to provide good planimetric and three-dimensional restitution with regard to location and placement. In this paper, special attention has been paid to the processing of the acquired data and on the interpretation of experimental tests conducted on a civil building.     

Experimental analysis of drilling fiber reinforced composites

In comparison with metals, long-fiber reinforced composites have a layered structure, with different properties throughout their thickness. When drilling such structures, internal defects like delamination occur, caused by the drilling loads and their uneven distribution among the plies. The current experimental analysis is focused towards determining the cutting loads distribution (axial and tangential) along the work-piece thickness and tool radius by analyzing the thrust and torque curves when drilling with 3 different drills carbon-fiber (CFRP) and glass-fiber (GFRP) reinforced composite plates. A wide range of cutting parameters is tested. The highest loads are found at the tool tip in the vicinity of the chisel edge for all cases. It is also found that the maximum load per ply varies mainly with the axial feed rate and tool geometry, while the spindle speed has little or no influence. The analysis is useful for selecting the cutting parameters for delamination free drilling and also for conducting drill geometry optimizations.     

Electrochemical rehabilitation methods for reinforced concrete structures: advantages and pitfalls

Abstract

There are still many unresolved issues concerning the efficiency of electrochemical realkalisation and electrochemical chloride removal as electrochemical rehabilitation methods for corroding reinforced concrete structures. The present paper seeks to answer a number of questions which, though seemingly elementary, continue to arouse controversy in scientific, technical and economic communities, despite the vast amount of work that has been devoted to research on corrosion in concrete embedded steel, such as whether corrosion can be stopped once it has started, whether corroded reinforced concrete structures can be repassivated, and whether it is sufficient to remove the sources of corrosion in order to stop rusting. A discussion is conducted on the relationship between the prerusting grade of rebars and the possibility of their repassivation; on whether electrochemical rehabilitation methods treatments are efficient, and if so, when and on whether a simple potential measurement can determine the passive or active state of a rebar. For this purpose an analysis is made, using electrochemical, gravimetric and metallographic techniques, of the response of clean and previously corroded steel electrodes in a Ca(OH)₂ saturated solution with and without a sodium nitrite corrosion inhibitor and in cement mortar. The effectiveness of electrochemical realkalisation and electrochemical chloride removal for repassivating prerusted steel in concrete is found to depend heavily on the prerusting grade.     

Mechanical properties of an iron oxide formed by corrosion in reinforced concrete structures

The paper deals with elastic properties of iron oxides formed in reinforced concrete structures. Due to the difficulty to perform mechanical tests on the real oxides presented in the form of (multiple) laminated stratums, the elastic modulus of iron oxides remains unknown. Young’s moduli of porous compact “synthetic oxides” in powder form, obtained in laboratory conditions, were measured from both acoustic measurements and oedometric tests. The elastic modulus of the compact polycrystalline iron oxide is deduced with respect to two models, a micromechanical one and a Hertz’ theory. The full method is validated on a well-known material, the alumina.     

Reinforcement corrosion-induced cover cracking and its time prediction for reinforced concrete structures

A relation between the radial pressure induced by expansion corrosion products and weight loss percentage of corroded steel was developed and simplified by investigating the influence of the mechanical properties of corrosion layer on cover cracking. By taking account of the penetration of the rusts into open cracks, a mathematical model that predicts the cover cracking time was proposed based on Faraday’s law. Some experimental observations were compared with the predictions made by the proposed model and two existing models, which indicates that the presented model is more suitable for predicting cracking time for both accelerated and long-term corrosion conditions.     

An embedded multi‐parameter corrosion sensor for reinforced concrete structures

A prototype of an embedded corrosion sensor has been developed for assessing the corrosion status of reinforcing steel bar (rebar) in concrete. The integrated sensor unit includes an Ag/AgCl probe, a metallic oxide probe, a multi‐electrode array sensor (MAS), and a four‐pin (Wenner) array stainless steel electrode for chloride content, pH, microcell corrosion current, and localized concrete resistivity measurements, respectively. A stable solid probe was used as the reference probe in this unit to express the potentiometric measurement of chloride content and pH probes. In this study, the chloride and pH probes were calibrated in simulated pore solutions (SPSs) regarding temperature and pH fluctuations. The corrosion current results of the MAS probe in SPSs matched very well with those obtained by the linear polarization resistance technique, which was conducted on companion carbon steel specimens. A sensor prototype was embedded into a paste cylinder for long‐term performance evaluation. Up‐to‐date results show that the sensor probes exhibit excellent sensitivity and reliability through 1 year of monitoring. Continuous monitoring in the laboratory for extended periods is underway.     

含有纳米级夹杂物的滚动体的应力分析

在滚动轴承工作状态下,滚动接触过程中通常会遇到滚动体内表面含有纳米级夹杂物的情况,纳米级夹杂物会影响滚动体的疲劳寿命。利用TLP3接触疲劳试验机对滚动体的疲劳寿命进行研究,发现纳米级夹杂物是滚动体疲劳寿命的主要影响因素,并基于此问题进行有限元仿真验证。以2μm夹杂物为模型,突破性地实现了网格局部极细划分,网格最小为0.125μm。以有限元软件Abaqus为基础,对滚动接触过程中滚动体以及纳米级夹杂物周围进行应力分析。研究发现,在夹杂物处应力集中,最大等效应力为1634 MPa。     

On the importance of execution for obtaining the designed durability of reinforced concrete structures

The design and execution of reinforced concrete structures shall together with planned maintenance lead to the intended level of safety and serviceability during the entire service life of the structure. The possible impact of execution on the performance of the finished concrete structure is not always recognized; e.g., is pre‐testing of alternative mixes often undertaken at laboratory conditions. Mix design should include an assessment of the stability and property development of the concrete at the anticipated execution conditions as well as an evaluation of the robustness of the concrete to natural variations in mix composition and execution. Through selected examples the paper addresses the importance of execution for obtaining the designed performance and durability of reinforced concrete structures.