Accelerating Effect of Wetting-Drying Cycles on Steel Bar Corrosion in Concrete

Raining and sun-shining processes in natural climate were simulated by water spraying and infrared lightshining alternately as wetting-drying cycles in accelerated durability test. The accelerating effects of the wet-ting-drying cycles and the variation of corrosion current density and corrosion potential of steel bar in concrete undersuch conditions were studied. The result shows that the main reason leading to accelerating corrosion of steel bar inconcrete is the wetting-drying cycles, which can cause the increase of corrosion potential difference between the an-ode and cathode of steel bar corrosion cell and the decrease of concrete resistance. Corrosion rate of the steel bar inconcrete under four typical conditions, including wetting-drying cycle, long time submerging in water, long time ex-posure to indoor and outdoor environment were measured and compared. The test results indicate that the corrosionrates under the four typical conditions are in the order of spraying and infrared light shining cycles, outdoor environ-ment, indoor environment, and submerging in water, respectively.