Corrosivity Evaluation for Steel Members near the Atmosphere-liquid Interface Using the Ground Corrosion Sensor

Abstract

The near-ground boundary of an embedded steel member is especially vulnerable to corrosion, which can be caused by long-term exposure to stagnant rainwater or other environmental factors. Many cases of fracturing due to progressive local corrosion have been reported. This study undertakes a fundamental examination of the output properties and practicality of a corrosion sensor devised by the authors to evaluate the corrosion resistance of steel members near the ground. The output characteristics of this sensor were investigated by simulating NaCl aqueous solution environments, including the atmosphere-liquid interface. In addition, an indoor exposure test was also conducted using uncoated steel plates in the same aqueous solution. The actual corrosion depths obtained from the exposure test were compared with the estimated corrosion depths according to sensor measurements. Moreover, an evaluation method using the corrosion sensor has been proposed for the prediction of the time-dependent corrosion depth of steel members.