Numerical simulation and experiment on the coupled effects of macro-cell corrosion and multi-ion equilibrium with pseudo structural concrete
Zhao Wang, Koichi Maekawa, H. Takeda, Fuyuan Gong
Abstract
Corrosion of reinforcing bars in structural concrete is a critical deterioration issue. Corrosion could attribute to the electro-chemical reactions which are closely related to the electrical field and chemical substances. Generally, two types of corrosion are classified including the micro-cell and macro-cell corrosion depending on whether the anodic and cathodic polarization take place at the same location or not. This paper presented a numerical evaluation of macro-cell corrosion of structural concrete with integrating the electrical field and multi-ion kinetics in electrolyte. Space-averaged simulation method was adopted which allowed the analytical domain to be structural members, structures or even structure clusters instead of specific concrete-reinforcement interface. Experimental validation was also conducted with pseudo concrete materials to verify the reliability of numerical simulation where satisfied correlation was found.