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MCI Protection of Concrete

Specification

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89 views4 pages

MCI Protection of Concrete

Specification

Uploaded by

jack21ab
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MCI Protection

of Concrete

concretes reliability needs to be a top


priority.
For years, there have been several
different protection options. A wide
range of corrosion inhibitors are available,1-4 which can be divided into groups
according to application and type of
corrosion process (Figure 1). Most products are designed to protect either the
DUBRAVKA BJEGOVIC AND BORIS MIKSIC, FNACE concrete or the steel rebar (Figure 2).
New migrating corrosion inhibitor
(MCI) technology is designed to protect
Migrating corrosion inhibitors (MCIs) were
both the concrete and the reinforcement steel. MCIs substantially decrease
developed to protect steel rebar from corrosion
the corrosion rate of steel rebar embedin concrete. They were designed to be incorporated as
ded in concrete.
an admixture during concrete batching or used for

surface impregnation of existing concrete structures.


Two investigations are summarized. One examines the
effectiveness of MCIs as a corrosion inhibitor for steel
rebar when used as an admixture to fresh concrete. The
other is a long-term study of MCI concrete impregnation
that chronicles corrosion rates of rebar
in concrete specimens. Based on data from each study,
it was concluded that MCIs are compatible with concrete
and effectively delay the onset of corrosion.

einforced concrete structures are usually durable


in average environments.
However, when exposed
to variable environmental
factors, such as carbonation and/or chloride attack, a structures integrity and safety
can easily be compromised. These attacks reduce the potential service life
of a structure and increase maintenance
costs. This problem has not been adequately addressed within the engineering community. Obvious design goals
should be to enhance concretes durability and performance and reduce
maintenance costs. After years of concrete restoration analysis, civil engineers have concluded that even with
relatively new projects, little or no effort has been made to significantly
counteract the negative environmental
impact on concrete. Improving

10

CORTEC CORP. Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001

MCI Technology
MCIs are based on amino carboxylate
chemistry. They are effective mixed cathodic and anodic corrosion inhibitors.5-7
Under normal conditions these substances enhance the vapor pressure.8-12
Increased pressure causes the inhibitor
molecules to diffuse through the concrete. This diffusion process requires a
period of time to migrate through the
concretes pores. Once the MCIs migrate
to the rebars surface, a monomolecular
protective layer is formed. This suggests
that the migratory inhibitors are physically adsorbed onto the metal surfaces.
MCIs can be incorporated as an admixture or can be used by surface impregnation of existing concrete structures. With surface impregnation,
diffusion transports the MCIs even into
the deeper concrete layers. They will delay and inhibit the onset of corrosion on
steel rebar.10-11

MCI Admixture Study


MCIs were incorporated into several
fresh concrete mix batches with various weight-to-concrete proportions.
Two types of additives were prepared
with two different MCI dosages, and a
statistical analysis was performed
(Table 1). The mix included a superplasticizer and an air-entraining agent.
MCIs were found to be compatible with
all additives used in concrete mixes.

FIGURE 1
They did not adversely affect any ingredients that were used in the concrete mix.
The experimental mix was prepared
with 356 kg/m3 of concrete (label PC
30z 45s) and included a natural fractionated aggregate that had a maximum granulation of 31.5 mm. The prepared mix was formed into similarsized block specimens. The test
parameters followed modified ASTM G
10912 procedures.
These prepared specimens also included three 14-mm diameter bars inserted at two different levels of the concrete. One bar was at 3.0 cm from the
specimens surface, acting as an anode.
The other two bars were connected in
series, 2.5 cm apart and 11.5 cm from
the concrete surface, as cathodes. A
Plexiglas wall was constructed
around the top edge of the concrete
block. This fluid containment area was
used to create a pool. The pool was
filled with a 3% sodium chloride (NaCl)
water solution that was in direct contact with the specimens surface. Contact time for each cycle was 4 consecutive days. After the NaCl/water solution
was drained, the samples were placed
in an environmental chamber for the
next 3 days of the cycle. To speed up
the drying process, the chamber was
set at an elevated temperature of 60C.
Next, a 100- resistor was connected between the cathode and the
anode bars. The voltage between the
anode and the cathode was measured
after each weekly cycle, and from
these readings the current was calculated and noted. The study was continued until the specimens current
achieved a 10-A deviation, or for 1
year, whichever was first. Concurrently, the potential difference between the anode and the reference
electrode (copper/copper sulfate [Cu/
CuSO4]) was also measured according
to ASTM C 876. 13 Figures 3 and 4
show the results regarding potential
differences.

Trade name.

Types of corrosion inhibitors for concrete.

FIGURE 2

Methods of protecting the concrete reinforcement from corrosion.

The data indicate that the effectiveness of MCIs increases substantially


with elevated dosage rates. As dosage
rates were increased to 3 L/m3, the
level of corrosion activity became sta-

tistically insignificant. This suggests


that proper dosage is an important issue when using MCIs in a fresh concrete mixture.

Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001 CORTEC CORP.

11

TABLE 1

CONCRETE COMPOUNDS FOR RESEARCH


Compound Label
Components:
Cement PC 30z 45 s
w/c
Admixtures:
Superplasticizer
Air entraining agent
MCI

Units
kg/m3

% on
weight of
cement
% on
weight of
cement
L/m3

II

0.5

III

VI

0.38

IV
356
0.35
0.39

0.5

0.5

2.0

2.0

2.0

0.05

0.05

0.05

1.0

3.0

1.0

3.0

continuous testing, it was concluded


that the effectiveness of MCIs was observed and confirmed by the test data.
Long-term testing of concrete with Significant differences were found beMCI surface impregnation was begun tween MCI-treated and non-treated
in November 1994. After 4 years of specimens.14

MCI Surface Impregnation


Treatment Study

FIGURE 3

Corrosion potential vs time.

FIGURE 4

Corrosion potential vs time.

12

CORTEC CORP. Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001

Steel rebar was


embedded in the
specimen blocks.
The rebar was 13mm diameter polished steel. It was
covered by 3 cm
of concrete. The
concrete used in
the preparation of
the
specimen
blocks was mixed
with NaCl (3 kg/
m3) to quickly activate the corrosion process. A
3.5% NaCl/water
solution was then
placed in direct
contact with the
surface of the
specimen. The solution was applied
for 1 week (40C,
100% RH), then
dried for 1 week
(50C, 30% RH).
This procedure
was designed to
simulate an accelerated real corrosion process in
the field.
After 1,311
days of continuous testing, the

control specimens were totally corroded. The average corrosion rate was
73 to 92 m/y. The specimens that had
been treated with MCIs experienced
corrosion of only ~10 to 12 m/y,
and in some cases there was little or
no corrosion. The corrosion process
with MCI-treated specimens was 17%
that of the untreated control group
specimens.
Several cracks were observed on the
control specimens. The study data indicate that cracks with a width 2 mm
tended to retain more air and water in
their cavities. This condition seemed
to aid in a greater buildup of electrolytic response (which was caused by
polarization) between the bars. Figure
5 shows the occurrence of cracks on
the control specimens and the absence
of similar cracks on the MCI-treated
specimens (after 1,311 days of continuous exposure).
It may be premature to estimate
how these test periods correspond to
real environments in the field. However, it can be concluded that when
MCIs were applied, the corrosion
speed was significantly reduced by
more than 83%. Therefore, if the test
specimens were to be placed in the
natural environment, the corrosion
rate of the rebar would be ~10 to 12
m/y. The coefficient number of this
rate could be calculated as 5.2 to 6.6
times the test period. In other words,
the experimental period to date4
yearsshould correspond to 20 to 24
years in the natural environment for
MCI-protected products.

Conclusion
The goal of this research was to
identify the influence of migratory inhibitors on steel rebar corrosion in concrete. MCIs were added to a fresh concrete mixture or used for surface
impregnation of existing concrete
structures. The study of MCIs was
based on procedures defined and
modified from the ASTM G 109 standard. The results clearly indicate that

FIGURE 5
the examined migratory inhibitors are compatible with
the components of the concrete structure. Results of
sample analysis indicate that,
with proper dosage, MCIs
significantly retard corrosion. MCIs play an important role in the delay of reinforcement steel corrosion in
concrete.

(a)

(b)

The appearance of untreated and MCI-treated specimens.

References
1. I.L. Rosenfeld, Corrosion Inhibitors (New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1981).
2. K.K. Sagoe-Crentsil, et al., Cement and Concrete
Research 23, 6 (1993): p. 1,380.
3. C. Andrade, et al., Cement and Concrete Research 22, 5 (1992): p. 231.
4. M. Haynes, Construction Repair, July/
August (1997): p. 10.
5. B.A. Miksic, Use of Vapor Phase Inhibitors for
Corrosion Protection of Metal Products, CORROSION/83 (Houston, TX: NACE, 1993).
6. P. Vrkljan, et al., Measuring the Effectiveness
of Migration Corrosion Inhibitors MCI by Electrochemical Techniques, ConChem International
Exhibition & Conference, December 2-4, 1997,
Dusseldorf, Germany.
7. B.A. Miksic, D. Bjegovic, ConChem International Exhibition & Conference, 1993, Karlsruhe,
Germany.
8. B. Miksic, et al., Migrating Corrosion Inhibitors for Reinforced Concrete, in Proceedings of the
8th European Symposium on Corrosion Inhibitors,
Sept. 18-22, 1995, University of Ferrara, Italy, p. 569.
9. D. Bjegovic, et al., Compatibility of Repair
Mortar with Migrating Corrosion Inhibiting Admixtures, CORROSION/97, paper no. 183 (Houston, TX:
NACE, 1997).
10. D. Bjegovic, et al., Diffusion of the MCI 2020
and MCI 2000 Corrosion Inhibitors in Concrete, International Conference on Corrosion and Corrosion
Protection of Steel in Concrete, Sheffield, U.K., July
24-28, 1994, p. 865.

DUBRAVKA BJEGOVIC is Vice Dean and


Building Materials Professor in the Materials
Department of the University of Zagreb, 10000
Zagreb, Croatia. She has written more than 80
papers discussing theoretical and practical
aspects of concrete technology, concrete
durability, and reinforced concrete exposed to
aggressive environments. She is involved in
various association concrete-related committees

and working groups. She has a Ph.D. and is a 5year member of NACE.
BORIS MIKSIC, FNACE is President of Cortec
Corp., 4119 White Bear Pkwy., St. Paul, MN
55110. He has developed more than 300
products and systems that use vapor corrosion
inhibitors. He has an M.E. from the University of
Zagreb, is a NACE Fellow, and has been a
NACE member for 26 years.

11. D. Bjegovic, et al., Calculation of Diffusion


Rate of Migrating Corrosion Inhibitors (MCI) Through
Concrete, in Proceedings of the 2nd International
Conference on Concrete Under Severe Conditions,
CONSEC 98, Tromso, Norway, June 21-24, 1998, Vol.
2, p. 93 0-938.
12. ASTM G 109, Standard Test Method for Determining the Effects of Chemical Admixtures on the
Corrosion of Embedded Steel Reinforcement in Concrete Exposed to Chloride Environments, Annual
Book of ASTM Standards (West Conshohocken, PA:
ASTM).
13. ASTM C 876, Test Method for Half-Cell Potentials of Uncoated Reinforcing Steel in Concrete,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards (West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM).
14. Long Term Test Protection of Rebar in Concrete (Osaka, Japan: General Building Research Corp.
of Japan, 1998).

Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001 CORTEC CORP.

13

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