Corrosion Prevention of Rebar in Concrete in Critical Facilities Located in Coastal Environments at Okinawa
Abstract
The corrosion of steel rebar in reinforced concrete structures is a pervasive and expensive problem for the Department of Defense. The maintenance and repair costs for affected structures and equipment amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and the degradation negatively impacts military readiness and infrastructure safety. This report documents a demonstration of a concrete re-bar corrosion inhibitor system and a liquid galvanic coating that provides cathodic protection for steel-reinforced concrete. These treatments were applied to critical infrastructure in a highly corrosive environment located at U.S. military facilities in Okinawa, specifically, two portions of a wall ring girder in a warehouse at Naha Military Port and two culvert bridges at the Kadena Air Force Base fuel storage depot. The data obtained in this demonstration show quantitatively that the corrosion inhibitor application significantly reduced the corrosion rate of the rebar on the tested structures. The galvanic coating appears to be providing protection to the rebar, but quantifying the extent of protection or positive impact on service life would require further monitoring and evaluation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA515491
Entities
People
- Ashok Kumar
- Larry David Stephenson
- Max Merzlikin
- Robert Walde
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center