Suitability of using simulated porous-like solutions to evaluate the steel corrosion in carbonated concrete

Abstract

The use of simulated solutions is a common practice incorrosion studies to assess easily and quickly the corrosion behaviour ofmaterials in real situations. In this context it is frequent to substitutetests performed in concrete or mortar by tests performed in porous-likesolutions. Particularly, to simulate carbonated concrete, different carbonated porous-like solutions (CPS)are found in literature. However, it isnot known whether the use of these solutions accurately predicts the behaviourof steel bars embedded in carbonated concrete. In the present work a comparisonbetween the corrosion behaviour of a carbon steel in carbonated mortar and indifferent CPS was performed. It was found that none of the CPS studied in thepresent work adequately simulate the corrosion behaviour of the steel incarbonated mortar, but the CPS containing high concentrations of carbonates/bicarbonatesis the only one that provides corrosion rates close to those obtained incarbonated concrete.