Electrochemical Performance Evaluation of Corrosion Monitoring Sensor for Reinforced Concrete Structures

In recent years, an interest in the corrosion monitoring technique of steel in marine concrete structures has been increased. Monitoring the reinforcement corrosion, it is crucial to be aware of corrosion threshold for damages or early repair and rehabilitation due to economical and safety aspects. A number of corrosion monitoring sensors have been proposed world-widely to predict the proper repair time of concrete structures. However, most of sensors introduced so far have some limitations to reach to the reliable status to evaluate corrosion continuously and accurately. A multi-functional compact sensor to monitor several corrosion factors has been proposed in this study, and the electrochemical and physical evaluation has been carried out to investigate rebar potential, corrosion rate, passivation state of rebar surface, and temperature of concrete. Five different environments, i.e. atmospheric, tap water, seawater, 15% seawater, and 15% seawater wet-dry cycle, have been applied, and a reasonable prediction of corrosion has been obtained in terms of nondestructive electrochemical point of view.