Express Method for the Evaluation of the Effect of Corrosion of Reinforcement on the Integrity of Reinforced Concrete

We describe the method and laboratory facilities for the investigation of reinforced-concrete specimens whose integrity is violated by the rapid corrosion of reinforcement. A cylindrical concrete specimen with central steel rod and an anodic potential applied to this rod is held in a corrosive environment. The corrosion rate of the rod is increased due to its polarization and the corrosion products wedge the concrete specimen from inside. As a result, after a certain period of time the specimen suffers cracking. The proposed method includes recording corrosion currents during the experiment, which enables us to estimate the intensity of corrosion.