Corrosion behavior of carbon steel in chloride-contaminated ultra-high-performance cement pastes

In this work, the corrosion behavior of carbon steels embedded in normal-performance cement pastes (NPCP) and ultra-high-performance cement pastes (UHPC) contaminated with seawater were studied. The results showed that the corrosion of the carbon steel propagated in NPCP due to the relatively low resistivity of the matrix. The initial high Cl-/OH- ratio induced the corrosion of steel after the cast of the seawater mixed UHPC, however it was suppressed immediately within the first few days due to the significant reduction of water, which inhibited the anodic reaction of the corrosion process. The insufficient oxygen supply did not dominate the corrosion process, since the phase conversion of the corrosion products could also sustain the cathodic reaction.

Automated summary

This study investigates the corrosion behavior of carbon steels in different cement pastes contaminated with seawater. The results indicate that the resistivity of the matrix affects the propagation of corrosion in carbon steel, and a high Cl-/OH- ratio induces corrosion. However, reduction of water content inhibits corrosion, and the phase conversion of corrosion products sustains the cathodic reaction.