Real-time corrosion monitoring of carbon steel rebar materials in concrete was conducted utilizing coupled multielectrode sensors. It was demonstrated that the coupled multielectrode sensor is a quantitative and real-time tool for the monitoring localized corrosion rates in concrete. The coupled multielectrode sensor also provided real-time indications for the effectiveness of cathodic protection in concrete.
Steel reinforcements in concrete structures exposed to aggressive conditions, such as marine environments and de-icing salts, are subject to corrosion degradation and significant reductions in their service lives. To mitigate corrosion prior to significant degradation and optimize the performance of such concrete structures, various sensors have been used to detect the corrosion and to provide early warning 1-5. Coupled multielectrode sensors were developed on the basis of a new technology and have been recently used as in situ and online monitors for non-uniform corrosion?especially localized corrosion?in laboratories and industry applications6-11. They have also been used to give quantitative real-time corrosion signals for cathodically protected systems12 and coated metal components13, and as a real-time monitor for the corrosion of carbon steel materials in soil with or without cathodic protections14. In this study, coupled multielectrode corrosion sensors were used to measure the real-time corrosion rate of rebar materials in concrete. The experimentally measured corrosion rates in different conditions, including cathodic protection conditions are also presented.
