Corrosion protection investigation of reinforcement by inorganic coating in the presence of alkanolamine-based inhibitor

Corrosion of reinforced concrete structures is a major problem throughout the world, demanding significant amounts for repair and rehabilitation. Corrosion protection is commonly performed by coating the concrete or by using corrosion inhibitors. This paper describes the comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of an acrylic dispersion and an inorganic coating on silicate basis, of an alkanolamine-based corrosion inhibitor and of their combination, on reinforced mortar specimens partially immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution. The following techniques were used: strain gauges, measurements of the corrosion potential, the mass loss and the EIS of the reinforcing bars and measurements of the chloride diffusion and the carbonation depth in mortars. Results demonstrate that the simultaneous use of the alkanolamine-based corrosion inhibitor with the inorganic coating offers a protection degree comparable to that of the acrylic dispersion, which performs best in the presence of both chloride ions and carbon dioxide.