Contribution of water-soluble ions in the corrosion of reinforced concrete cooling towers using the response surface method

Every year, a significant number of reinforced concrete structures suffer from corrosion attributed to aggressive ions, posing a critical issue on durability and strength loss of structures. Therefore, identifying the contribution of each ion to concrete deterioration is crucial. This study employed the Response Surface Method (RSM) to investigate the coupling effects of different ions and PH values and their respective contributions to the corrosion degree of concrete structure of a cooling tower with severe corrosions induced by ion attacks. The deterioration growth of concrete volume in the corroded zones of the cooling tower was measured and monitored according to the amount of dissolved ions in several times. The results of each measurement were considered as a laboratory sample for the required experiments of the RSM. The results of the study revealed that chloride and sulfate ions were the most influential ions in deteriorating the concrete, causing the most significant negative impact on reinforced concrete deterioration. In contrast, magnesium and calcium ions had the least contribution to reinforced concrete corrosion.