Examples of reinforcement corrosion monitoring by embedded sensors in concrete structures

An increasing number of concrete structures are being monitored to enhance their durability. However, the literature provides only some guidance for the interpretation of the monitoring results [Broomfield JP. Corrosion of steel in concrete, understanding investigation and repair. 2nd ed. UK: Taylor & Francis; 2006; Andrade C, Alonso C. On-site measurements of corrosion rate of reinforcements. Constr Build Mater 2001;15(2–3):141–45; EN 206 2000. Concrete—Part 1: specification, performance, production and conformity]. Past experience shows the difficulty of interpreting the data collected due to the influence of temperature and moisture, and of using these data to predict future evolution of any deterioration processes. This paper presents several examples of recorded data for corrosion potential, electrical resistance and corrosion rates, along with a methodology to obtain a representative corrosion rate, averaged per year. The representative value can be used in corrosion predictive models to calculate the remaining service life.