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Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-4-093
Date: July 2004

Critical Literature Review of High-Performance Corrosion Reinforcements in Concrete Bridge Applications

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FOREWORD

Economic considerations historically have precluded consideration and widespread utilization of high-performance (corrosion-resistant) reinforcements (such as stainless steels) in bridge construction. However, with the advent of life cycle cost analysis as a project planning tool and of a requirement that major bridge structures have a 75–100-year design life, the competitiveness of such steels has increased such that enhanced attention has been focused upon these materials in recent years.

This investigation was initiated to evaluate the corrosion resistance of various categories of high-performance reinforcement, including new products that are becoming available, in bridge structures that are exposed to chlorides. Both long-term (4-year) test yard exposures and accelerated laboratory experiments in simulated concrete pore waters were involved. The ultimate objective is to: (1) evaluate the corrosion properties and rank the different candidate materials; and (2) develop tools and short-term tests to help practitioners project long-term performance in actual structures. This interim report presents the results of a critical literature review of corrosion issues and behavior for high-performance reinforcements as applicable to bridges and as a precursor to the experimental program.

T. Paul Teng, P.E.
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for its content or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of this document.

QUALITY ASSURANCE STATEMENT

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

1. Report No FHWA-HRT-04-093	2. Government Accession No. N/A	3. Recipient's Catalog No. N/A
4. Title and Subtitle A Critical Literature Review of High-Performance Corrosion Reinforcements in Concrete Bridge		5. Report Date July 2004
		6. Performing Organization Code N/A
7. Authors(s) William H. Hartt,* Rodney G. Powers,** Virginie Leroux,* and Diane K. Lysogorski* (See box 15)		8. Performing Organization Report No. FAU-OE-CMM-04
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Center for Marine Materials Florida Atlantic University—Sea Tech Campus 101 North Beach Road Dania Beach, FL 33004		10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) N/A
		11. Contract or Grant No.
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Office of Infrastructure R&D Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean VA 22101-2296		13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report July 2004
		14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR): Y.P. Virmani, HRDI-10 * Center for Marine Materials Florida Atlantic University—Sea Tech Campus 101 North Beach Road, Dania Beach, FL 33004 ** Florida Department of Transportation State Materials Office 5007 NE 39^th Street Gainesville, FL 32609
16. Abstract A critical literature review regarding high-performance reinforcement for concrete bridge applications was conducted. This included (1) an overview of the corrosion-induced concrete deterioration process, (2) corrosion control alternatives, (3) the utility of corrosion (pitting) resistant alloys for applications in chloride containing environments, (4) a review of the pitting mechanism, and (5) performance of various metallic reinforcement types in aqueous solutions, cementitious embedments, test yard exposures, and actual structures. Specific alloys upon which attention was directed include black steel; MMFX-II; and various grades of ferritic, austenitic, and duplex stainless steels, as both solid and clad bars and in the as-received and pickled conditions. It was determined that the high-performance alloys outperformed black steel from a corrosion resistance standpoint. Unlike the various grades of black steel, however, a relatively wide range of corrosion performance was apparent for the high-performance counterparts depending upon the alloy and surface condition. At the same time, the present approach to materials selection for bridge construction is to identify the reinforcement candidate that will achieve the design life at the least life cycle cost. This, in turn requires that long-term corrosion performance of candidate reinforcement types be known for the anticipated design life of the bridge in question, which can be 75–100 years. However, because service history for these materials in this application is limited, the necessary information can only be obtained from accelerated, short-term tests, but there is no reliable correlation between the results from these tests and long-term performance.
17. Key Words Reinforced concrete, bridges, corrosion resistance, highperformance reinforcement, stainless steels, MMFX-II		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the Public through the National Technical Information Service; Springfield, VA 22161
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	21. No. of Pages 54	22. Price N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized (art. 5/94)

SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors

INTRODUCTION

CORROSION-RESISTANT REINFORCING STEEL

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND FINDINGS

DISCUSSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Photograph of a cracked and spalled marine bridge piling
Figure 2. Schematic illustration of the various steps in deterioration of reinforced concrete due to chloride-induced corrosion
Figure 3. Schematic polarization curve for stainless steel in an aqueous solution with and without Cl^-
Figure 4. Schematic anodic polarization curves illustrating dependence of the anodic polarization curve for stainless steels on temperature, Cl^- concentration, and alloy composition
Figure 5. Schematic illustration of the Øcrit and Øcorr parameters
Figure 6. Seawater exposure data illustrating a correlation between Øcrit – Øcorr and weight loss due to pitting
Figure 7. Schematic illustration of the combined effect of pH and Cl^- onØcrit
Figure 8. Graphical representation of accelerated screening test data at pH 7
Figure 9. Graphical representation of accelerated screening test data at pH 13
Figure 10. Most positive corrosion potential for different alloys in solution and in concrete
Figure 11. Threshold Cl^--OH^- ratio as a function of potential for stainless and carbon steels
Figure 12. Threshold Cl^- concentration for different reinforcement types in aqueous solutions of different pH
Figure 13. Current density as a function of admixed chloride concentration for mortar specimens potentiostatically polarized at 0 mV_SCE
Figure 14. Time-to-corrosion as a function of admixed Cl^- concentration
Figure 15. Critical pitting potential as a function of admixed Cl^- concentration for stainless and carbon steel specimens in both carbonated (C) and uncarbonated (UC) mortar. The number in the caption indicates the PREN for each alloy
Figure 16. Comparison of c_th for welded and unwelded stainless and carbon steel specimens in carbonated and uncarbonated mortar. The number in the caption is the PREN. Where no carbon steel data are indicated, c_th was zero
Figure 17. Attempted cross correlation of Cl^- threshold on a cement w/o and on a [Cl^-]/[OH^-] basis
Figure 18. Weight loss of different reinforcements during a 10-year United Kingdom exposure
Figure 19. Corrosion rate of various mortar-coated reinforcement types in an aqueous macrocell test arrangement
Figure 20. Corrosion rate of various reinforcement types in concrete slabs undergoing Southern Exposure testing
Figure 21. Comparison of corrosion rates in the different environments (multiple listings of same alloy represent results for duplicate specimens)
Figure 22. Corrosion rate of MMFX and carbon steel under cyclic salt fog exposure
Figure 23. Perspective view of the Progresso pier.
Figure 24. Photograph of hinged arches and piling
Figure 25. Corrosion of an exposed reinforcing bar

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Comparison of Øcrit and Øcorr for selected materials
Table 2. PRE/PREN for some common stainless steels
Table 3. Polarization resistance and corrosion rate data for CRR candidates in accelerated screening tests at pH 7
Table 4. Polarization resistance and corrosion rate data for CRR candidates in accelerated screening tests at pH 13

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Page Owner: Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of Infrastructure, RDT

Topics: research, infrastructure, structures, pavements, concrete, design, jointed, fiber-reinforced polymer, FRP, dowels
Keywords: research, structures, Reinforced concrete, bridges, corrosion resistance, high performance reinforcement, stainless steels, MMFX-II
TRT Terms: research, infrastructure, Facilities, Structures
Scheduled Update: Archive - No Update needed

This page last modified on 04/23/2012