Electrochemical investigations on the corrosion behaviour of reinforcing steel in diatomite- and zeolite-containing concrete exposed to sulphuric acid

Corrosion is a major concern for most structural applications. Its detrimental effect significantly reduces the life of metallic components. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of corrosion in the steel reinforcement of concrete samples having three different substituents: 20% diatomite, 20% zeolite, and a reference without zeolite or diatomite. All concrete specimens were subjected to a solution of 0.5 M H2SO4 for 160 days, and every 15 days electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed. The results indicated that porosity plays a very important role in reinforcing concrete. The steel reinforcement in the zeolite was less corroded by the H2SO4 solution than the reference and the diatomite samples. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.