Effects of Tafel slope, exchange current density and electrode potential on the corrosion of steel in concrete

A parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of variations in anodic and cathodic Tafel slopes, exchange current densities and electrode potentials on the rate of steel corrosion in concrete. The main goal of this investigation is to identify the parameters that have significant influence on steel corrosion rate. Since there is a degree of uncertainty associated with the selection of these parameters, particularly during modelling exercises, it is intended that the results of this study will provide valuable information to engineers and researchers who simulate steel corrosion in concrete. To achieve this goal, the effect of a parameter on the corrosion rate of steel is studied while all other parameters are kept constant at a predefined base case. For each parameter, two extreme cases of anode‐to‐cathode ratio are studied. The investigation revealed that the variations in the anodic electrode potential have the greatest impact on the corrosion rate, followed by the variations in the cathodic Tafel slope.