Effect of curing temperature and water-to-cement ratio on corrosion of steel in calcium aluminate cement concrete

• CAC specimens were made with different w/c, and cured at different temperatures. • The w/c and temperature played a crucial role in the porosity of CAC. • Increasing the curing temperature can improve the corrosion resistance of CAC. This study evaluated the corrosion resistance of pure calcium aluminate cement (CAC) concrete specimens made with water-to-cement ( w/c ) ratios of 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 and cured at 4, 21, and 90 °C following the ASTM G109 standard. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed increased CAC conversion with increased curing temperature. Compressive strength and bulk electrical resistivity measurements showed that the CAC specimens had lower strength and higher bulk electrical resistivity than ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete. Macrocell corrosion currents measured after cyclic exposure to chloride solutions showed that the CAC specimens were highly permeable and less resistant to chloride-induced corrosion than OPC concrete. Among the different CAC specimens tested in this study, the specimens made with a w/c of 0.4 and cured at 90 °C showed the highest corrosion resistance.