A rapid cyclic voltammetric method for studying cement factors affecting the corrosion of reinforced concrete

A rapid cyclic voltammetric method for studying the influence of cement factors on the corrosion of embedded iron and steel in hardened cement paste is described. The technique employs a “cement electrode” consisting of an iron or steel wire embedded in a miniature cylinder of hardened cement paste. The rapid cyclic voltammetric method is fast, reproducible, and provides information on the corrosiveness of the pore solution environment surrounding the embedded metal. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated by showing how it can be used to evaluate the threshold chloride content of hardened ordinary portland cement paste at which corrosion begins and by using it to evaluate the relative efficacy of several admixed corrosion inhibitors.