Down to Business: How to Prevent Concrete Corrosion Before It Starts
Did you know there are concrete Roman buildings more than 200 years old? The longevity comes with possible risks of concrete corrosion and cracking.
You don’t want to risk your building collapsing with the onsets of corrosion.
When done right, with accurate concrete mixing, proper curing, and proper use of aggregates and additives, you can protect your building from concrete cracking and constant repairs.
Constantly spending millions of dollars on concrete repairs needs to be among your least worries. Implement the following strategies to eliminate risks of concrete corrosion.
1. Non-Chloride Accelerators
The primary cause of concrete corrosion is chloride attack. If you cast calcium chloride as an accelerator when the ions reach the steel, corrosion is unavoidable.
You will be in constant search of concrete repair products. ACI 318 sets limits on chloride ion content to prevent possible corrosion. Different concrete members have varying limits.
You don’t want the associated high costs of concrete patch repair. If you are not sure about your limits, there are non-chloride accelerators that offer a safer alternative.
2. Use Impermeable Concrete Overlays
You need to protect your concrete structure and embedded material from absorbing water and chlorides. Absorption of water and chlorides exposes your structure to damages beyond chemical corrosion. You stand other risks like;
• Organic growth,
• Shrinkage and swelling cracks and
• Frost damage
How do you prevent concrete corrosion and other damages? Polymer concrete overlays make water and chlorides impermeable. Invest in impermeable overlays to avoid constant concrete patch repair.
You can apply two coats of cement polymer (primer and sealer coat) to reinforce corrosion control.
3. Corrosion Resistant Steel Deformed Rebars (CRSD)
If you are initiating your concrete structure construction, corrosion-resistant steel deformed rebars will prevent concrete cracking from early on. The rebars have greater bond strength than mild steel bars.
CRSD has a protective oxide layer that makes rusting passive and has a self-renewing ability. You don’t have to call emergency concrete repair stores when it’s too late.
Invest in CRSD or rebars completely coated with epoxy and stainless-steel alternatives.
4. Seal the Rebars
You can seal your rebars using epoxy coatings, acrylic sealers, and silane sprays. Sealers protect embedded concrete material from contamination.
Sealing rebars using fusion bonded epoxy is the ideal sealing option.
This option allows you to test rebars’ performance on chemical, abrasion, and impact resistance.
5. Constantly Assess and Monitor Risks of Concrete Corrosion
If your concrete building is already aging, your opportunity to prevent concrete repairs is not lost. Thanks to corrosion detection technologies, you can use non-destructive methods to gather information on concrete corrosion risks.
The two technologies you can use to assess concrete corrosion are;
• An autonomous robotic bridge inspector
• An early warning system based on acoustic
You need to regularly assess your structures to avoid concrete cracking emergencies.
Boost your Concrete Structure Durability and Stability
Concrete corrosion repairs are costly. You need your structures stable and durable without additional costs on concrete patch repair. The five strategies offer you an opportunity to achieve both.
If concrete corrosion and related issues are your current threats, contact us to get further assistance from a team of professionals.
