Emerging Trends in Corrosion Engineering and Technology for Steel Reinforced Concrete
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64137/31078699/IJETET-V1I2P102Abstract
Corrosion of steel reinforced concrete (RC) is among the major durability challenges of civil engineering infrastructure [1-3]. With the increasing service demands for aging buildings, bridges, and highways, the durability of RC structures is not a secondary design criterion or just an academic concern. Corrosion-related durability of steel reinforced concrete directly influences the safety of the public, the economy, sustainability, and environmental protection. The recent research and development in the field of corrosion engineering have seen enormous technological advancements. Corrosion engineering for steel-reinforced concrete structures is now emerging as a state-of-the-art technology, which is renewing the optimism that engineers can now predict, prevent, and control reinforced concrete corrosion in a better way for civil engineering infrastructure. The need of the hour is to transform the RC corrosion engineering technology from reactive repair to the proactive protection trend. Conventionally, the trend was to repair [4-5] the concrete structures after the corrosion damage was visible. Usual methods used for this include patching of the spalling concrete, replacing the corroded rebars, and applying the surface sealants. However, this concept of reaction repair is expensive and effective only temporarily [5]. The emerging trends are to move away from this mindset and go for proactive corrosion protection by preventing the damage before it reduces the load-carrying capacity by causing cracks in concrete and a reduction in rebar area.
References
[1] L. Bertolini, B. Elsener, P. Pedeferri, E. Redaelli, and R. Polder, Corrosion of Steel in Concrete: Prevention, Diagnosis, Repair. Weinheim: Wiley, 2013.
[2] U. M. Angst, “Challenges and opportunities in corrosion of steel in concrete,” Materials and Structures, vol. 51, no. 1, Jan. 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-017-1131-6.
[3] Hussain Raja Rizwan, and Tetsuya Ishida, Corrosion of Steel Under Mass and Energy Transport in Porous Media, VDM Publishing House Ltd. Benoit Novel, simultaneously published in USA & UK, 2010.
[4] M. A. El-Reedy, Steel-reinforced Concrete Structures. 2024.
[5] M. Wasim and R. R. Hussain, “Comparative study on induced macrocell corrosion phenomenon in repaired ordinary reinforced and self-compacting concrete structures,” Corrosion Engineering Science and Technology The International Journal of Corrosion Processes and Corrosion Control, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 370–379, Apr. 2013, doi: https://doi.org/10.1179/1743278213y.0000000090.
[6] P. Alapati, Mehdi Khanzadeh Moradllo, N. Berke, M. T. Ley, and K. E. Kurtis, “Designing corrosion resistant systems with alternative cementitious materials,” Cement, vol. 8, pp. 100029–100029, Mar. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cement.2022.100029.
[7] L. H. Hihara, “Advanced materials for corrosion resistant coatings,” Corrosion Reviews, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 115–116, Apr. 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/corrrev-2018-0005.
[8] Ruby Aslam, et al., Corrosion in Concrete Structures: Integrating Advanced Technologies and Sustainable Practices, Wiley-Scrivener, 2025.
[9] M. Ismail and M. Ohtsu, “Corrosion rate of ordinary and high-performance concrete subjected to chloride attack by AC impedance spectroscopy,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 458–469, Sep. 2006, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2005.01.062.
[10] R. R. Hussain, A. B. Shuraim, and Abdulrahman M.A. Alhozaimy, “Investigation for the impact of nature of coarse aggregate on the passive layer formation and corresponding corrosion of reinforcement bars in high performance concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 100, pp. 52–62, Oct. 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.09.057
[11] Prabhat Ranjan Prem, P. S. Ambily, Basha Vankudothu, and B. H. Bharatkumar, “Sustainable Production of High Performance Concrete,” Elsevier eBooks, pp. 527–536, Jan. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-803581-8.11501-2.
[12] Raja Rizwan Hussain, “Influence of chloride ions and hot weather on isolated rusting steel bar in concrete based on NDT and electrochemical model evaluation,” vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 158–162, Mar. 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2010.11.010.
[13] R. R. Hussain, T. Ishida, and M. Wasim, “Experimental investigation of time dependent non-linear 3D relationship between critical carbonation depth and corrosion of steel in carbonated concrete,” Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology, vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 657–660, Aug. 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1179/147842210x12659647007086.
[14] R. R. Hussain, “Effect of moisture variation on oxygen consumption rate of corroding steel in chloride contaminated concrete,” Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 154–161, Jan. 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2010.09.014.
[15] S. R. Yeomans, “Galvanized steel reinforcement,” Jan. 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-78242-381-2.00006-7.
[16] “TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement in Highway Structures,” 1993. Accessed: Dec. 31, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trcircular/403/403.pdf#page=57
[17] R. R. Hussain, Abdulaziz Al-Negheimish, Abdulrahman Alhozaimy, and D. D. N. Singh, “Corrosion characteristics of vanadium micro-alloyed steel reinforcement bars exposed in concrete environments and industrially polluted atmosphere,” Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 113, pp. 103728–103728, Jul. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2020.103728.
[18] J. McGurn, “Stainless Steel Reinforcing Bars in Concrete.” Accessed: Dec. 03, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://worldstainless.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ref24_nidi_rpt_-_mcgurn_-_schaffhausen_bridge_lcc.pdf
[19] V. C. Li and E.-H. Yang, “Self Healing in Concrete Materials,” Springer Series in Materials Science, pp. 161–193, 2007, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6250-6_8.
[20] M. Amran et al., “Self-Healing Concrete as a Prospective Construction Material: A Review,” Materials, vol. 15, no. 9, p. 3214, Apr. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15093214.
[21] P. K. Frankowski et al., “Structural health monitoring of corrosion in reinforced concrete: a key component for smart cities,” Um.edu.mt, 2025, doi: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142021.
[22] E. B. Hunt, E. C. Carterette, and M. P. Friedman, Artificial Intelligence. Burlington: Elsevier Science, 2019.
[23] B. Guo, G. Qiao, D. Niu, and J. Ou, “Electrochemical Corrosion Control for Reinforced Concrete Structures–A Review,” International Journal of Electrochemical Science, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 5723–5740, May 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.20964/2020.06.24.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
