Title:
Non-Destructive Measurement of Corrosion State of Reinforcing Steel in Concrete
Author(s):
Paulo J. M. Monteiro, Frank Morrison, and William Frangos
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
95
Issue:
6
Appears on pages(s):
704-709
Keywords:
corrosion; nondestructive tests; reinforced concretes
DOI:
10.14359/414
Date:
11/1/1998
Abstract:
The paper presents a new non-destructive method that uses a multielectrode electrical resistivity array to measure the complex impedance along the surface of a concrete structure in order to determine the position of the reinforcing bars and their corrosion state. A laboratory demonstration of the new method was conducted on a concrete block with four embedded steel reinforcing rods, each with a different surface preparation to simulate a variety of conditions: corroded, clean, coated bar and gold-plated. The gold-plated bar was intended to represent a condition of complete chemical inertness and the painted bar was intended to represent the condition that should, in principle, offer only capacitive coupling to the concrete. The surface spectral resistivity method was able to locate the bars and distinguish between the different surface impedances of the bars and, therefore, it can be a useful tool in assessing corroded reinforcement in concrete structures.