Title: Field Study of the Corrosion Behavior on Dynamically Loaded Marine Concrete Sructures

Author(s): B. Espelid and N. Nilsen

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 109

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 85-104

Keywords: cathodic protection; concrete durability; corrosion; oxygen; dynamic loads; marine atmospheres; reinforced concrete; reinforcing steels; sea water; Materials Research

DOI: 10.14359/1927

Date: 8/1/1988

Abstract:
Experience and research have shown that reinforcement in submerged concrete appears to be well protected against corrosion. Questions have been raised as to whether this durability will be present in structures subject to dynamic loads and in structures spanning through several environment zones. To clarify the effect of loading, eight concrete beams were exposed dynamically loaded at a seawater laboratory. Four of the specimens were allowed to corrode freely, while the rest were cathodically protected. To study the corrosion behavior of multizone exposed concrete structures, eight concrete columns with a diameter of 0.6 m and a height of 5 m were installed in the sea. One of the main objectives was to study the cathodic current density demands of embedded steel exposed to different environmental zones and of multizone exposed embedded steel. This paper presents the results from the laboratory and field tests, and the main conclusion is that the corrosion conditions found on a multizone exposed concrete structure differ from those found on a completely submerged structure.