CORROSION PERFORMANCE OF EPOXY-COATED REINFORCING STEEL IN MARINE SUBSTRUCTURE SERVICE

Corrosion of marine bridge substructures using concrete with epoxy-coated reinforcing steel (ECR) has been observed in Florida Keys' bridges. Experiments have been conducted to determine the extent of corrosion and associated macrocell action in concrete that might develop in ECR that contained surface defects and was subject to corrosion before placement in concrete. Instrumented columns have been used to measure the extent of macrocell action and determine the cathodic polarization behavior of ECR segments. A simplified quantitative model has been formulated to predict the macrocell current distribution along idealized substructure columns, as a function of concrete resistivity, column length, and ECR surface condition.