Corrosion resistance of enamel coating modified by calcium silicate and sand particle for steel reinforcement in concrete

Porcelain enamel has stable chemical property in harsh environments such as high temperature, acid and alkaline, and it can also chemically react with substrate reinforcing steel resulting in improved adherence strength. In this study, the corrosion resistances of enamel coating modified by calcium silicate and sand particles, which are designed for improved bond strength with surrounding concrete, were investigated in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. It consists of two papers that describe the results of the study. The first paper investigates the corrosion behavior of enamel coating modified by calcium silicate applied to reinforcing steel bar in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution by OCP, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. The coatings include a pure enamel, a mixed enamel that consists of 50% pure enamel and 50% calcium silicate by weight, and a double enamel that has an inner pure enamel layer and an outer mixed enamel layer. Electrochemical tests demonstrates that both pure and double enamel coatings can significantly improve corrosion resistance, while the mixed enamel coating offers very little protection due to connected channels. The second paper is focused on the electrochemical characteristics of enamel coating modified by sand particle applied to reinforcing steel bar in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution by EIS. Six percentages by weight are considered including 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and 70%. Results reveal that addition of sand particle does not affect its corrosion resistance significantly. Most of the sand particles can wet very well with enamel body, while some have a weak zone which is induced during the cooling stage due to different coefficient of thermal expansion. Therefore, quality control of sand particle is the key factor to improve its corrosion resistance. --Abstract, page iv