Corrosion of Epoxy Coated Rebar in Florida Bridges
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Report Prepared by: Alberto A. Sagüés* Jae Bong Lee* Xiaoyuan Chang* Howard PickeringH Eric NystromH William Carpenter* S. C. Kranc* Tonya Simmons* Bruce Boucher* Sherry Hierholzer* *University of South Florida HThe Pennsylvania State University CORROSION OF EPOXY COATED REBAR IN FLORIDA BRIDGES Final Report to Florida D.O.T. WPI No. 0510603, State Job No. 99700-7556-010 Alberto A. Sagüés, P.I. Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanics College of Engineering University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 33620-5350 May, 1994 This electronic version was prepared 03/01/2002 Errata have been corrected in pages T1, T7 and T10 ACKNOWLEDGMENT This report was prepared in cooperation with the State of Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The field investigations were performed jointly with personnel from the Corrosion Section of the Materials Office, Florida Department of Transportation, Gainesville, Florida. The Corrosion Section provided also valuable assistance in the preparation of concrete laboratory specimens and analysis of concrete samples. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the State of Florida Department of Transportation. ii CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................. i ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................ ii CONTENTS .................................................................................................. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................ 4 1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 7 1.1 Background .......................................................................... ...........7 1.2 Information needs critical to FDOT................................................. 8 1.3 Objectives of the project.................................................................. 9 1.4 Approach........................................................................................... 9 2. METHODOLOGY - FIELD INVESTIGATIONS..........................................11 2.1 Test site selection. ...........................................................................11 2.2 Site activities. ...................................................................................11 2.2.1 Visual examination and soundings.....................................11 2.2.2 Rebar cover .........................................................................11 2.2.3 Concrete Resistivity.............................................................12 2.2.4 Coring....................................................................................12 2.2.5 Rebar sample extraction.....................................................12 2.2.6 Field coating adherence determination.............................13 2.2.7 Half-cell potentials ................................................................13 2.2.8 Macrocell Current Measurements ......................................13 2.2.9 Mutual Resistance measurements.....................................14 2.2.10 Polarization resistance........................................................14 2.3 Laboratory Evaluation of Field Specimens ...................................15 2.3.1 Appearance, coating thickness and coating breaks........15 2.3.2 Backside appearance.........................................................15 2.3.3 Coating adhesion.................................................................15 2.3.4 Chloride concentration profiles...........................................16 2.3.5 Aggregate characterization.................................................16 2.3.6 Dry/wet concrete resistivity and weight changes..............16 2.3.7 Evidence of fly ash...............................................................17 1 3. METHODOLOGY - MECHANISTIC INVESTIGATIONS ..........................18 3.1 Mechanism of coating disbondment..............................................18 3.1.2 Experiments with model solutions ......................................18 3.1.3 Tests in concrete ..................................................................19 3.2 Crevice corrosion and corrosion protection..................................19 3.2.1 Pitting initiation potentials ...................................................19 3.2.2 Cathodic protection..............................................................21 3.3 Mechanical effects of corrosion......................................................21 3.3.1 Laboratory time to cracking determinations, coated versus black bar. ....................................................21 3.3.2 Computational stress intensity determinations .................22 4. RESULTS - FIELD INVESTIGATIONS......................................................24 4.1 Inventory of sites tested ...................................................................24 4.2 Rebar cover ......................................................................................24 4.3 Concrete resistivity...........................................................................24 4.4 Concrete chloride content ...............................................................25 4.5 Other concrete characteristics........................................................27 4.6 Rebar continuity and mutual resistance.........................................27 4.7 Half cell potentials ............................................................................27 4.8 Macrocell current..............................................................................28 4.9 Polarization resistance....................................................................28 4.10 Rebar coating adhesion..................................................................28 4.11 Rebar surface condition..................................................................29 4.12 Coating thickness.............................................................................31 4.13 Metal and coating backside condition...........................................31 5. RESULTS - MECHANISTIC INVESTIGATIONS ......................................32 5.1 Mechanism of coating disbondment..............................................32 5.1.1 Disbondment in model solutions ........................................32 5.1.2 Disbondment in concrete ....................................................33 5.2 Crevice corrosion and corrosion protection..................................34 5.2.1 Pitting initiation potentials ...................................................34 5.2.2 Cathodic protection..............................................................34 2 5.3 Mechanical effects of corrosion......................................................35 5.3.1 Time to cracking experiments.............................................35 5.3.2 Computation of stress intensity...........................................36 6. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS......................................................................38 6.1 Mechanism of corrosion..................................................................38 6.1.1 Introduction. ...............38 6.1.2 Two key factors. .................38 6.1.3 Importance of coating breaks . ...........39 6.1.4 Extent of coating breaks. ..............39 6.1.5 Importance and extent of coating disbondment .................40 6.1.6 Development of disbondment.............................................40 6.1.7 Electrolyte in disbonded regions ........................................41 6.1.8 Crevice corrosion.................................................................41 6.1.9 Corrosion rate estimation....................................................42 6.1.10 Performance improvements................................................43 6.1.11 Corrosion development - a proposed sequence..............44 6.2 Present condition of bridges in Florida..........................................45 6.3 Prognosis of future corrosion performance...................................47 6.3.1 Objective ...............................................................................47 6.3.2 Approach...............................................................................47 6.3.3 Initiation period.....................................................................48 6.3.4 Propagation period..............................................................51 6.3.5 Prognosis..............................................................................52 6.4 Future directions...............................................................................56 6.4.1 Use of ECR...........................................................................56 6.4.2 Corrosion Protection Alternatives - New Design..............58 6.4.3 Corrosion Protection - Present Structures ........................60 7. CONCLUSIONS...........................................................................................62 8. REFERENCES............................................................................................65 9. TABLES ................................................................................................T1 10. FIGURES ................................................................................................F1 11. APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................A1 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This investigation was aimed at determining