Estimation method of corrosion current density of RC elements

Abstract

The work is theoretical with the use of analytical calculations, subsequently confirmed by a numerical method, in which an attempt was made to verify the method of estimating the corrosion current density based on the deflection of reinforced concrete (RC) elements affected by reinforcement corrosion. The focus was on the possibility of estimating the corrosion current intensity on the basis of external measurements of deflections of RC elements subjected to reinforcement corrosion. The method can be used as an element supporting the diagnosis of RC structures. The article presents an example of analytical and numerical deflection calculations, on the basis of which an attempt was made to estimate the corrosion current density. The obtained results were considered satisfactory, which is sent for further considerations, and above all for experimental verification of the proposed method. The analysis was based on the theoretical work of a simply supported beam, whose analytical results were verified using the finite element method. For the purposes of theoretical considerations, the impact of corrosion of the beam reinforcement was assumed in the form of a history of changes in the intensity of the corrosion current obtained in another research work. Finally, the obtained results confirmed the assumptions regarding the possibility of estimating the corrosion current density on the basis of the deflection of the analyzed beam.