A Report on Research Sponsored by

Chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete is one of the major durability concerns in reinforced concrete structures. In Northern America, the cost of maintenance and replacement for highway bridges due to corrosion damage is measured in billions of dollars. Of corrosion protection systems, reinforcing steels with inherently good corrosion resistance have received increased attention. In this study, the corrosion performance of duplex stainless steels, including 2101 and 2205 duplex steels in both “as-rolled ” and pickled conditions, and MMFX microcomposite steel were compared with the corrosion performance of conventional and epoxy-coated steel using laboratory tests. These tests include rapid macrocell tests, corrosion potential tests, bench-scale tests (the Southern Exposure and cracked beam tests), and two modified versions of the Southern Exposure test to determine the critical chloride threshold. The rapid macrocell tests were modified by replacing the simulated concrete pore solutions at the anode and cathode every five weeks to limit the effects of changes in the pH of the solutions. The corrosion resistance of the steel