Abstract
The corrosion of steel reinforcements in concrete is of great concern in recent years. This study is focused on the corrosion behavior of steel bars induced by internal chlorides in concrete at early ages. The main objective of this study is to determine the chloride thresholds causing depassivation and active corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete. To examine the threshold concentration of chloride ion, the half-cell potential, chemical composition of expressed pore solutions of concrete and the rate of corosion area of the specimens were measured. Major variables include the added amount of chlorides in concrete, types of binders, and water-to-binder ration. From the present comprehensive experimental results, the factors influencing chloride-induced corrosion are investigated, and the chloride thresholds causing active corrosion of steel bars are proposed. The present study will enable to specify the realistic chloride limit in concrete which can be used in the future technical specification.