Title:
Corrosion Performance of Reactive-Enamel Coated Reinforcing Steel
Author(s):
Charles R. Werner, Jeffery S. Volz, Genda Chen, Richard K. Brow, and Michael L. Koenigstein
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
109
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
441-450
Keywords:
calcium silicate; corrosion; electrochemical; epoxy; reactive enamel; reinforcing steel.
DOI:
10.14359/51683919
Date:
7/1/2012
Abstract:
Originally developed to improve the bond between reinforcing steel and concrete, reactive-enamel coatings have shown great promise in improving the corrosion resistance of reinforcing steel. The reactive-enamel coating consists of cement blended with glass enameling frit that is fused onto the steel. This study evaluated three different enamel formulations: 1) pure enamel; 2) a 50/50 mixture of enameling frit to portland cement; and 3) two-coat, two-fire coating consisting of pure enamel followed by a 50/50 mixture. For the enamel coatings, test results indicated that the 50/50 mixture provided the least protection to the underlying steel, while the double enamel provided the highest protection, and the pure enamel provided a degree of protection between the two. Conventional epoxy-coated bars provided the highest degree of corrosion protection, but one benefit of the enamel coatings is their resistance to corrosion undercutting the coating.