What Do You Mean By Concrete Corrosion?

Concrete corrosion pertains to the degradation that occurs within and outside the material. Concrete can degrade due to various reasons, usually due to material limitations, construction methods, the design, and constant exposure to severe conditions. Structural, functional, and aesthetic problems may occur due to fire damage, effects of sea water, aggregate expansion, calcium leaching, bacterial corrosion, chemical damage, and physical damage.

Corrosion of concrete can lead to widespread damage to critical assets and structures, like bridges and sewage pipelines. Preventative measures like coatings (i.e. lacquer or oil-based paint and varnish), surface treatment, and better construction methods are utilised to help prevent and combat these types of corrosion. The production technique of cements can be improved to prevent damage, too. Corrosion would usually be too late to remedy the problem once signs of damage occur on the surface. Hence, specialists rely on advanced testing equipment to determine the condition of the concrete structure without destroying it.

Non-invasive and non-destructive concrete corrosion testing methods are available for quality assurance tests and to predict the material's early age condition. A concrete thickness gauge, which uses impact echo testing technology, can be used to find the lateral location, extent, and the depth of internal flaws. The impact echo principal works by releasing and spreading low-frequency P-waves into the material, and then reflected by flaws and external surfaces.

A concrete thickness gauge comes with a mechanical tap from a solenoid impactor, which is placed against the concrete, and a transducer, which is positioned adjacent to the impactor, receives the waves. The device records and converts time traces to frequency, and depth is identified via the measured compressional wave velocity and highest frequency peak through the concrete. The equipment is able to help locate defects in concrete.

Concrete reinforcing corrosion testing products are available as well. These can be used to assess the condition of the concrete or during routine inspections and repair investigations. Monitoring the condition of concrete is cost-effective and may help prevent expensive repairs. Moreover, monitoring systems can be used for either existing or new structures.