Metallic corrosion of steels embedded in calcium aluminate cement mortars

Abstract

In the present paper, the corrosion levels of reinforcing steels embedded in Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) mortars have been studied. Experiments were designed to investigate the influence of the following factors in steel corrosion: cover thickness, type of steel (carbon steel (CS) and stainless steel (SS)), temperature at mixing and curing, influence of chloride concentration, nitrite ion as corrosion inhibitor and carbonation of mortar. The reinforcing steel bars do not become more corroded because of the carbonation of the CAC mortar cover; in some cases, this carbonation seems to have an inhibitor effect in the steel corrosion. The higher the process of carbonation in CAC, the higher the intensity of the X-ray reflections of Friedel's salt and the smaller the values of corrosion rates.