Corrosion Behavior and Durability of Low-Alloy Steel Rebars in Marine Environment

The corrosion resistance of Cr-modified low-alloy steels and HRB400 carbon steel was estimated using the open-circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopic, and weight loss methods in simulated concrete pore solution. Results show that Cr-modified steels exhibit a higher corrosion resistance with a higher critical chloride level (CTL), lower corrosion current density, and higher impedance than carbon steel. The CTL of the steels significantly reduces with increasing temperature. Weight loss measurement shows that the Cr-modified steels exhibit low corrosion rates and small corrosion pitting. The primary constituents of the corrosion scales are Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄, β-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, and α-FeOOH. A large amount of α-FeOOH could be detected in the Cr-modified steel corrosion products. Moreover, the Cr-modified steels demonstrate a higher durability than HRB400 carbon steel.