The influence of silica fume on the corrosion resistance of steel in high performance concrete exposed to simulated sea water

This investigation examined the influence of silica fume on the corrosion behaviour of steel in high performance concrete (HPC) by comparing the behaviour of HPC concretes with and without a 10% by mass of cement addition of silica fume. Reinforced concrete prisms (500 × 100 × 100 mm) with embedded corrosion probes were loaded in three-point bending to achieve a 0.3 mm crack and exposed to simulated sea water for up to four years. Corresponding prisms without induced cracks were also studied as controls. For the HPC with silica fume, pore size distribution measurements showed that after exposure to the simulated sea water, the hydration and pozzolanic reactions near the induced crack blocked almost all continuous pores in the 0.01 to 10 m range. This affected the type and distribution of corrosion products that formed by restricting the access of chlorides and oxygen to the surface of the steel. Thus, only magnetite (Fe₃O₄) formed and was confined the space provided by the induced crack, effectively plugging the crack. In HPC without silica fume, oxygenated corrosion products such as goethite (-FeOOH) and akaganeite (-FeOOH) formed in the induced crack region. The implications of these observations on the service life of high performance concrete structures are discussed.     

Pitting corrosion of 2Cr13 stainless steel in deep-sea environment

Pitting corrosion of 2Cr13 stainless steel was investigated by deep-sea exposure test at various depths of 500 m,800 m and 1200 m in the South China Sea for 4 months.With the aid of electrochemical measurements in simulated deep-sea environments and grey relational analysis,the influence of deepsea environments on passive film and the mechanism of pitting corrosion were discussed.The results indicated that with the increase of sea depth,pitting depth of 2Cr13 stainless steel increased,which can be attributed to the change of chemical composition and the degradation of pitting resistance of passive film.Film growth was greatly retarded in the condition of low seawater temperature and low dissolved oxygen content of deep sea,resulting in an unstable and vulnerable film.Pitting depth was most influenced by hydrostatic pressure,which can increase the adsorption and penetration of Cl-ion,and promote the proliferation of point defects in passive film,leading to rapid deconstruction of protective oxides of the film.Pitting sensitivity of 2Cr13 stainless steel increased eventually with the combination of accelerated dissolution and suppressed self-healing of passive film in deep sea.     

Pitting corrosion resistance of La added 316L stainless steel in simulated body fluids

Lanthanum (La), a rare earth element with anticoagulative and antiphlogistic function, was added into the medical grade 316L stainless steel in order to improve its biocompatibility. The corrosion resistance of the La added 316L steel in two different simulated body fluids, simulated blood plasma and Hank's solution, was evaluated. The result showed that the addition of La in the steel could largely affect the corrosion behavior of the steel. The steel with 0.01% La showed the widest passive region and the best resistance to pitting attack, within the addition range of La from 0.01% to 0.08%. The corrosion resistance improvement of La added 316L stainless steel is probably due to the effect of La on the purification of the steel, the modification of inclusions, and the passive film formation in the simulated body fluids.     

D-葡萄糖酸钠对模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋的缓蚀作用

应用电化学阻抗谱研究D-葡萄糖酸钠对含有氯离子的模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋的缓蚀作用,并对其缓蚀机理进行探索.结果表明,0.01mol/L D-葡萄糖酸钠对钢筋具有良好的缓蚀效果,其缓蚀作用主要是通过在钢筋表面和氯离子竞争吸附,最终形成一层吸附膜对钢筋起到保护作用.     

复合缓蚀剂对模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋的阻锈作用

应用电化学技术和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等方法,研究了亚硝酸钠和D-葡萄糖酸钠复合缓蚀剂对模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋腐蚀行为的影响及其阻锈作用.结果表明,复合缓蚀剂主要起阳极型缓蚀剂作用.含3.5%NaCl,pH值为11.00的模拟液中加入含5g/L亚硝酸钠的复合缓蚀剂后,钢筋的腐蚀电流降低至未加缓蚀荆的1%,缓蚀效率达99%.     

十二烷基肌氨酸钠对模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋的缓蚀作用

应用极化曲线法和电化学阻抗技术,考察了十二烷基肌氨酸钠对模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋的缓蚀作用.结果表明,十二烷基肌氨酸钠对在含氯离子的模拟混凝土孔隙液中的钢筋有良好的缓蚀效果.极化曲线和电化学阻抗谱的测试结果一致证实十二烷基肌氨酸钠的加入量为100mg/L时,对含0.6mol/L NaCl的模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋的缓蚀效果最好.     

模拟混凝土孔隙液中钢筋电化学腐蚀行为及pH值的影响作用

应用极化曲线法和电化学阻抗技术,结合扫描电子显微镜方法,测试钢筋在模拟混凝土孔隙液中的钝化与去钝化行为,以及溶液pH值对钢筋电化学腐蚀行为的影响作用.结果表明,钢筋在pH值为12.50的模拟液中处于钝态,随着溶液pH值的降低,钢筋的耐蚀性下降.钢筋表面去钝化发生腐蚀的临界PH值在11.12-11.05范围内.     

Development of lightweight concrete with high resistance to water and chloride-ion penetration

This paper presents an experimental study to evaluate the influence of coarse lightweight aggregate (LWA), fine LWA and the quality of the paste matrix on water absorption and permeability, and resistance to chloride-ion penetration in concrete. The results indicate that incorporation of pre-soaked coarse LWA in concrete increases water sorptivity and permeability slightly compared to normal weight concrete (NWC) of similar water-to-cementitious materials ratio (w/cm). Furthermore, resistance of the sand-lightweight concrete (LWC) to water permeability and chloride-ion penetration decreases with an increase in porosity of the coarse LWA. The use of fine LWA including a crushed fraction <1.18 mm reduced resistance of the all-LWC to water and chloride-ion penetration compared with the sand-LWC which has the same coarse LWA. Overall, the quality of the paste matrix was dominant in controlling the transport properties of the concrete, regardless of porosity of the aggregates used. With low w/cm and silica fume, low unit weight LWC (～1300 kg/m³) was produced with a higher resistance to water and chloride-ion penetration compared with NWC and LWC of higher unit weights.     

Investigations on the influence of oxygen on corrosion of steel in concrete—Part I

The main objective of the research programme presented in the two parts of this article is determining the influence of oxygen diffusion through the concrete cover, on the corrosion process of the reinforcement in concrete structures. Altogether, 66 so-called “concrete corrosion cells”, i. e. reinforced concrete specimens with locally separated anodically and cathodically acting steel bars and different concrete compositions, have been used for the laboratory tests. Two testing methods have been used to investigate the influence of oxygen diffusion on the cathodic reaction under different environmental conditions: potentiostatic tests (presented in part I) and the determination of cathodic current density/potential curves (presented in part II). Using the results of these tests and a simplified equivalent electric circuit model for the corrosion process, it was possible to calculate the influence of oxygen diffusion on the corrosion rate of the reinforcement under defined conditions. The results of the laboratory tests and calculations show that the diffusion of oxygen is a significant limiting factor for the corrosion rate only when the concrete around the reinforcement is water saturated and most of the oxygen within the concrete near the reinforcement surface has been consumed by the cathodic reaction of the corrosion process. As a consequence, the corrosion rate is influenced by oxygen diffusion only through the concrete cover in structures which are submerged or exposed to long-term or cyclic water application that causes water saturation of the concrete for periods of several weeks. In the case of common outdoor structures being exposed to rain and not submerged or constantly water saturated due to other reasons, no reduction of the corrosion rate induced by limited oxygen diffusion is therefore to be expected.     

Corrosion behaviour of nanocrystallines 304 stainless steel in simulated secondary side environment

Surface nanocrystallisation (SNC) was prepared on the top-surface layer of 304 stainless steel by ultrasonic surface rolling treatment (USRT). Meanwhile, martensite transformation also occurred during grain refinement, and the surface microhardness increased more than tripled after USRT. The corrosion resistance of nanocrystallines (NC) 304 stainless steel was notably better than that of untreated samples in simulated pressurised water reactor (PWR) secondary water by potentiodynamic polarisation curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky curves. Meanwhile, the corrosion mechanism was discussed before and after USRT by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The main reason is due to the formation of denser Cr(OH)₃ protective film and the reduction of the porous structure Fe₂O₃ content in the NC 304 stainless steel.     

Investigations on the influence of oxygen on corrosion of steel in concrete—Part 2

In Part I of this article, potentiostatic tests on reinforced concrete specimens under different environmental conditions have been described. The results of these tests have shown that it is possible to define four cases related to the humidity, in which different dominant parameters influence the corrosion rate for the reinforcement, discussed in detail in Part I. The main result is that the diffusion of oxygen is only a significant limiting factor for the corrosion rate when the concrete around the reinforcement is water-saturated and most of the oxygen within the concrete near the reinforcement has been consumed by the cathodic reaction of the corrosion process. As a consequence, the corrosion rate is only influenced by oxygen diffusion through the concrete cover in structures which are submerged or exposed to long term or cyclic water application, thereby causing water saturation of the concrete around the reinforcement for periods of several weeks. In Part II of this article, the determination of cathodic current-density/potential curves is described. Using the results of these tests and a simplified equivalent electric circuit model for the corrosion process, it is possible to calculate the influence of oxygen diffusion on the corrosion rate of the reinforcement quantitatively for defined conditions. One interesting consequence of this work is that the thickness of the concrete cover does not influence the corrosion rate by reducing the oxygen diffusion rate significantly when the concrete is not water-saturated. However, a sufficiently thick concrete cover is essential due to several other reasons (ingress of chlorides, carbonation, etc.).     

A parametric study on the influence of steel wool fibers in dense asphalt concrete

Environmental conditions combined with traffic loads contribute to premature deterioration of asphalt concrete pavements, reducing their strength and durability over time. To improve it, fibers can be incorporated in the mixture. Additionally, electrically conductive fibers can be used for self-healing purposes. In this context, this paper evaluates the influence of flexible steel fibers (steel wool) on the mechanical and physical properties of dense asphalt concrete. With these purposes, 25 different mixtures, with the same aggregate gradation and amount of bitumen, but with two different fibers lengths, four different percentages, and four different diameters of steel wool have been considered. Additionally, the influence of fibers on test specimens with three different types of damage: water damage, salt water damage and ageing have been evaluated through particle loss tests. Moreover, the influence of different temperatures on the flexural strength of dense asphalt concrete with steel wool fibers has been studied. It was found that steel wool fibers do not significantly improve the mechanical properties and damage resistance of dense asphalt concrete. On the other hand, steel wool fibers can change the air void distribution of a mixture, and therefore even reduce its particle loss resistance. As a recommendation, it is indicated that, for induction heating purposes, short fibers, with big diameters should be used, since they do not seem to alter the original properties of dense asphalt concrete.     

Effects of bentonite content on the corrosion evolution of low carbon steel in simulated geological disposal environment

The effects of bentonite content on the corrosion behavior of low carbon steel in 5 mM NaHCO3+ 1 mM NaCl + 1 mM Na2SO4 solution were investigated by electrochemical measurements combined with X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). In the initial immersion stage, the cathodic process of low carbon steel corrosion was dominated by the reduction of dissolved oxygen, while it transformed to the reduction of ferric corrosion products with the immersion time. The presence of bentonite colloids could suppress the cathodic reduction of oxygen due to their barrier effect on the diffusion of oxygen. However, the barrier performance of bentonite layer was gradually deteriorated due to the coagulation and separation of bentonite colloids caused by the charge neutralization of iron corrosion products dissolved from the steel substrate. More bentonite colloids could maintain the barrier effect for a long time before it was deteriorated by the accumulation of corrosion products. Conversely,it could lose the performance completely, and the corrosion behavior of low carbon steel reverted to the same as that in the blank solution.     

苯并三唑对模拟混凝土孔溶液中钢筋的阻锈作用

应用线性极化、电化学阻抗谱和动电位极化等电化学方法研究了苯并三唑(BTA)对含有氯离子的模拟混凝土孔溶液中钢筋的阻锈作用,并通过微观测试方法对其阻锈机理进行探索。结果表明,含有0.25mol/LNaCl的模拟混凝土孔溶液(pH为12.5的饱和Ca(OH)2溶液)中加入等物质量(0.25mol/L)的BTA对钢筋有良好的阻锈作用。电化学测试证实了BTA对模拟混凝土孔溶液中钢筋的阻锈效果比常用的亚硝酸盐更明显,微观形貌观察发现BTA能与钢筋生成多层有机保护膜,保护钢筋免受氯离子侵蚀。以上结论均预示着BTA可能成为钢筋混凝土结构中具有很好应用前景的钢筋阻锈剂。     

钢筋钝化膜在含缓蚀剂的模拟混凝土孔隙液中的电化学特性

应用线性极化法、Mott-Schottky曲线研究了钢筋钝化膜在含有亚硝酸钠和D-葡萄糖酸钠复合缓蚀剂的模拟混凝土孔隙液中的电化学特性.结果表明,复合缓蚀剂的加入,使钢筋在含有氯离子的模拟混凝土孔隙液中耐蚀性提高;在外加亚硝酸钠的模拟混凝土孔隙液中,钢筋钝化膜在一定的电位区间内呈现n型半导体特性并具有单一施主浓度,而D-葡萄糖酸钠加入则增大了施主浓度.此外,钢筋钝化膜的耐蚀性和半导体性质受溶液中氯离子浓度的影响较大,加入一定浓度的氯离子可使钝化膜的施主浓度增大,耐蚀性降低.     

Pitting corrosion of steel tubes in an air preheater

Severe pitting corrosion of a carbon steel tube was observed in the air preheater of a power plant, which runs on rice straw firing. Approximately 1450 tubes were removed from Stage 3 of the preheater (air inlet and flue gas outlet) due to corrosion and local bursting. Samples from Stage 2 (where corrosion was low) and Stage 3 (severe corrosion) were taken and subjected to visual inspection, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness measurement, and chemical and microstructural analysis. It was determined that extended non-operation of the plant resulted in the settlement of corrosive species on the tubes in Stage 3. The complete failure of the tube occurred due to diffusion of these elements into the base metal and precipitation of potassium and chlorine compounds along the grain boundaries, with subsequent dislodging of grains. The nonmetallic inclusions acted as nucleating sites for local pitting bursting. Nonuniform heat transfer in Stage 3 operation accelerated the selective corrosion of front-end tubes. The relatively high heat transfer in this stage resulted in condensation of some corrosive gases and consequent corrosion. Continuous operation of the plant with some precautions during assembly of the tubes reduced the corrosion problem.     

铸造双相不锈钢点腐蚀行为研究

采用化学浸泡腐蚀试验及微观组织和化学成分分析研究了5种铸造双相不锈钢在6%Fe Cl3溶液中的点腐蚀行为,并与316L奥氏体不锈钢进行了对比。结果表明,铸造双相不锈钢的抗点腐蚀性能均优于316L的,腐蚀速率和点腐蚀深度均小于316L奥氏体不锈钢的;双相不锈钢主要耐点蚀能力合金元素在奥氏体和铁素体相内分布不均匀,铬、钼更多地分配于铁素体相内,而镍、氮则更多地分配于奥氏体相内,铁素体相的耐点蚀指数PRE(Cr%+3.3Mo%+16N%)大于奥氏体相;双相不锈钢的耐点腐蚀性能与化学成分有关,随着PRE的增加,双相不锈钢的耐点腐蚀性能提高,铜元素在铁素体内析出的富铜相导致点蚀优先在铁素体内发生和发展。     

Significance of oxygen concentration on the quality of passive film formation for steel reinforced concrete structures during the initial curing of concrete

Reinforced concrete prisms with varying surface conditions (sealed, partially sealed, and unsealed) and curing environments (in air and submerged in water) were used to vary the oxygen concentration in laboratory experiments. The experiment results (current rate and half-cell potential) of these tests were used to establish the time-dependent influence of oxygen concentration on passive film formation and corrosion of the reinforcement steel embedded in concrete under various defined conditions. It was found that the adequate availability of free oxygen during the initial curing stage is crucial for the proper formation of the passive layer. This suggests ways to improve passive layer development, and thus the durability of reinforced concrete structures, through the use of curing procedures that control both moisture and oxygen availability.     

Modelling the influence of age of steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete on its compressive behaviour

Steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) can combine the benefits of self-consolidating concrete technology with those derived from adding steel fibres to quasi-brittle cement based materials. In a recent applied research project joining pre-casting industry, private and public research institutions, a method was developed to design cost-competitive SFRSCC of rheological and mechanical properties required for the prefabrication of SFRSCC façade panels. To assure safe demoulding process of the panels, the influence of the concrete age on the compression behaviour of the SFRSCC should be known. For this purpose, series of tests with specimens of 12 h to 28 days were tested in order to analyze the age influence on the compressive strength, strain at peak stress, Young’s modulus, and compressive volumetric fracture energy. The experimental program was divided in two groups of test series, one with SFRSCC of a volumetric fibre percentage of 0.38% and the other with 0.57%. To apply the obtained data in the design and numerical analysis framework, the influence of the age on these SFRSCC properties was modelled. This work describes the carried out experimental program, presents and analyzes the obtained results, and provides the derived analytical expressions.     

Pitting by Sea Water of austenitic stainless steel

A sulfuric acid plant was equipped with heat exchangers with Nicrofer 3620 tubing. The cooling medium was sea water. Within 5 weeks after start-up some of the tubes failed by pitting, showing that it is impossible to use stainless steel as a heat transfer material in sea water unless the molybdenum content is very high.