Concrete of tomorrow: corrosion performances in marine environment

Abstract

Concrete is the most used construction material worldwide, but if often faces durability issues due to rebar corrosion, and cement production can be energy consuming. Attempts to improve its resilience versus corrosion while reducing its carbon footprint are ongoing at an international level. In this objective, in France within the framework of the national project PERFDUB, a series of reinforced concrete walls were cast with innovative concrete designs, two shapes of rebars and two concrete covers. The standard performances of the different concrete mix designs were evaluated at a laboratory scale. Then the walls were exposed in the French La Rochelle harbor, in the tidal zone in order to monitor the evolution of the corrosion of the bars for a period of twenty years. The first results of the electrochemical follow-up of these reinforced walls are presented in this paper.