Phenomenological process of rebar corrosion in reinforced concrete evaluated by acoustic emission and electrochemical noise

Rebar corrosion was evaluated by monitoring reinforced concrete specimens. An electrical corrosion test accelerated the corrosion, and non-destructive evaluation of the acoustic emission (AE) and electrochemical noise (EN) was applied. Because AE phenomena were detected during rebar corrosion, the rise time and maximum amplitude increased, showing waveform variations. The AE activity was attributed to oxide film peeling of the rebar surface. The pitting index of the EN analysis ranged from -1 to 0, indicating localized corrosion. The EN method can detect pitting corrosion on rebar surfaces. AE and EN can be combined to phenomenologically evaluate early-stage rebar corrosion in concrete.

Automated summary

Rebar corrosion in concrete was evaluated using an electrical corrosion test and non-destructive evaluation techniques. The results showed that acoustic emission and electrochemical noise analysis can be used to assess early-stage rebar corrosion.