Electrochemical method to assess the absorption of NaCl solutions in OPC and SRPC mortars

One of the most important factors with regard to the corrosion of reinforce ments is the presence of chloride ions which can be introduced to the mix w ith the raw materials or from the environment. Absorption of chloride conta ining solutions is the fastest mechanism of penetration in non-saturated co ncrete. Therefore, special consideration must be taken. The need to set up reliable methods to assess the performance of mortar and concrete mixes wit h regard to their chloride penetration and afterwards the influence on the corrosion propagation has been recognised and is addressed in the present w ork. Two kinds of cement were compared in the present study, ordinary portl and cement (opc) and sulphate-resistant portland cement (srpc), with two wa ter-cement ratios of 0.4 and 0.5, The results showed clear differences betw een the cement types and water-cement ratios studied. Thus, the method repo rted here is shown to be a useful tool to assess the chloride uptake over t he threshold level for corrosion to be initiated in the steel rods. (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.