Protection of Reinforced Concrete Steel Exposed to a Marine Environment: A Preliminary Onsite Study of the Performance of a New Generation of Surface-Applied Corrosion Inhibitors

Reinforcement corrosion is the risk most frequently cited to justify concrete durability research, especially where it is induced by chlorides. Surface-applied corrosion inhibitors are widely used to mitigate the corrosion process both for carbonation and chlorides of steel reinforcement in concrete. They are applied onto the surface of hardened concrete and penetrate towards steel reinforcement. This paper discusses the corrosion inhibition performance of a new generation of a dual-phase surface-applied corrosion inhibitor (DP-SACI), and its efficiency in corrosion induced by chlorides over 3% referred to cement mass, and also in pre- and post-cracked structures. This corrosion mitigation activity was evaluated onsite for almost four years, in a sea wall exposed to XS1 ambiance. The electrochemical techniques used were based on the determination of the electrical resistivity of concrete, the half-cell corrosion potential and the steel corrosion rate (from linear polarization resistance measurements). All of these electrochemical parameters provide accurate information for on-site structures about the efficiency over the time of surface-applied corrosion inhibitors. The effectiveness of the dual-phase surface-applied corrosion inhibitor proved to be up to 99%, even with ongoing corrosion and 0.3 mm cracks near the rebar. The use of DP-SACI provides a non-destructive repair method that inhibits the corrosion process and increases the service life of the element.