Rebar Corrosion Resistance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete in Presence of Crack and Bacteria
摘要
The paper studies the effect of the presence of cracks on the corrosion of the reinforcement in Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) and the self-healing capacity of this concrete through the use of bacteria, thus protecting the reinforcement. Furthermore, the influence of the presence of steel fibers in the matrix has been analyzed. UHPC samples with two embedded bars have been used to analyze the corrosion response of the reinforcement in crack state that reaches the level of the bar. Samples with and without steel fibers and with and without bacteria were considered. The samples were exposed in a chloride environment and the corrosion response has been monitored for more than 9 months. The initiation and propagation of corrosion have been analyzed through periodic measurement of the corrosion potential (Ecorr) and the corrosion rate (Vcorr). The chloride profile at the crack level and the self-healing of the crack have also been analyzed. In UHPC the incorporation of high doses of fibers slightly affects the initiation and propagation of corrosion due to the different morphology and size of the cracks. A slightly higher corrosion rate occurred in the samples with bacteria compared to similar samples without bacteria even though the crack width was double in the case of the specimen with bacteria (160 and 85 μm respectively). The autogenous self-healing capacity of UHPC masks the contribution of bacteria to the enhancement of autonomous self-healing.