A practical approach for monitoring reinforcement corrosion in steel fiber reinforced concrete elements exposed to chloride rich environments

The use of fibers in Reinforced Concrete (RC) elements changes their cracking pattern, leading to narrower and more closely spaced cracks. In addition, the presence of fibers can improve the steel-to-concrete bond behavior reducing the steel-to-concrete interface damage after cracking. Cracks and steel-to-concrete interface damage work like paths, for aggressive agents, to reach the rebar in cracking elements, reducing the initiation period of the corrosion process, and favoring the corrosion at the intersection between cracks and reinforcement. In this context, this article discusses an experimental program on tension ties mechanically cracked and exposed to a chloride-rich environment with the purpose to check and eventually adequate the typical electrochemical measurements, used in the case of RC elements, for Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC). Adjustments related to degradation morphology and interference of steel fibers are proposed and used on Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) elements for monitoring the influence of cracks and fibers on corrosion propagation. Finally, these proposed modifications were checked and validated against the results obtained by monitoring SFRC beams in the cracked stage.