Vol. 3, Issue 1, Part F (2017)

Abstract
Corrosion of reinforcing steel is one of the major causes of deterioration of reinforcement concrete structures worldwide. While several methods of corrosion protection of steel reinforcing bars in concrete have been developed, a unique method of corrosion protection is yet to be established. This paper experimentally compares the five commonly used methods of corrosion protection of rebar in concrete which are; high grade concrete, use of inhibitors in concrete, concrete surface coating, rebar coating and cathodic protection. Concrete cylindrical specimens with embedded rebar are exposed to alternate wetting and drying cycles in sodium chloride solution to accelerate corrosion of rebar for a stipulated period of 72 days/ 1722 hours. Corrosion monitoring is carried out by measuring half-cell potential of the specimens twice a day during the exposure period. At the end of corrosive exposure, pullout test is carried out on all specimens to determine bond strength. After the pullout test, mass loss in the rebar is determined for all rebars. All these parameters are compared with the control specimen which is unprotected and the relative advantages and disadvantages of all methods have been studied.