Electrochemical Behavior of Reinforced Concrete and Its Relation With the Environment of Xalapa, Veracruz

In this work it is evaluated the electrochemical performance of reinforced concrete exposed to the environment of the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, to portray the effect in the durability, since this depends not only from its mechanical features but also from the environment in which the structure will be build, as it has been demonstrated in some researches. 12 beams of 15 x 15 x 30 cm were made, 6 with steel to reinforce and 6 without it. Two types of concrete were designed, one with a w/c = 0.65 ratio and the other with a w/c = 0.45 ratio, with the same kind of cement, 3/8" diameter 1018 steel carbon rods, in three types of coating thickness, 15, 20 and 30 mm. The tests to evaluate the oversensitivity to corrosion of the reinforce steel, were resistance to polarization and the monitoring of potential corrosion based in the standard ASTM C-876-09. The obtained results of the first two years of monitoring indicate us noble potentials that indicate a 10% probability of corrosion, the kinetics of corrosion is negligible for 12 rods since 6 of them have a moderate level of corrosion.