The Impact of Repair Method on the Chloride-Induced Corrosion of Steel Embedded in Cracked Concrete

ABSTRACT The primary objective of this study was to experimentally assess the mitigating impacts of repair methods on the chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcement steel in precracked concrete. Precracked reinforced concrete specimens with a single transverse crack with three different crack widths of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.7 mm (0.004, 0.012, and 0.028 in) as well as uncracked beams were prepared. The specimens were exposed to alternating wet and dry cycles of 2 wk using a 3 wt. % sodium chloride solution to simulate an aggressive environmental condition and thus accelerate corrosion of embedded reinforcement bars. Three different methods were used for repair: (1) epoxy only, (2) injecting the inhibitor inside the crack and then coating the surface with epoxy, and (3) injecting a mixture of epoxy and inhibitor inside the crack and then coating the crack surface with epoxy. Electrochemical measures showed that all repair methods significantly suppressed corrosion activity. Prior to application of the repair methods, the corrosion activity was correlated with the crack width. After repair, the corrosion activity was diminished and was similar regardless of crack width. The epoxy-only repair method corresponded to greater reduction in corrosion activity than the other two methods.