Metallic corrosion of steels embedded in calcium aluminate cement mortars

In the present paper, the corrosion levels of reinforcing steels embedded i n Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) mortars have been studied. Experiments wer e designed to investigate the influence of the following factors in steel c orrosion: cover thickness, type of steel (carbon steel (CS) and stainless s teel (SS)), temperature at mixing and curing, influence of chloride concent ration, nitrite ion as corrosion inhibitor and carbonation of mortar. The r einforcing steel bars do not become more corroded because of the carbonatio n of the CAC mortar cover; in some cases, this carbonation seems to have an inhibitor effect in the steel corrosion. The higher the process of carbona tion in CAC, the higher the intensity of the X-ray reflections of Friedel's salt and the smaller the values of corrosion rates. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.