Inspection and monitoring techniques for Bridges and Civil Structures




1.1 Introduction

Corrosion of reinforcing steel is the main cause of deterioration of reinforced

concrete structures and has received increased attention because of its

widespread occurrence and the high costs of repair associated with it. The total cost of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures amounts to billions of dollars annually. Effective condition assessment techniques are necessary to detect corrosion in its early stages, evaluate its extent and implement appropriate and cost-effective protection and repair measures. A number of techniques or devices have been developed to facilitate the assessment of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures. They can provide rapid, cost-effective and non-destructive evaluation of reinforcement corrosion and very important information regarding the corrosion damage in existing


concrete structures. In order to obtain an accurate and reliable assessment of the state of corrosion damage, engineers and bridge inspectors

often have to gather information from different corrosion evaluation

techniques. The selection and application of different techniques to identify corrosive


environments and active corrosion in concrete structures with non-prestressed reinforcement depend upon the resources available and the specific condition of the structure. These techniques and methods will be discussed in the following two sections: () electrochemical techniques and (2) physico-chemical techniques.


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