Contribution of acoustic emission to monitor the effect of phosphate based inhibitor on the corrosion behavior of steel reinforcement

One of the most important causes of reinforced concrete structures deterioration is the corrosion of the reinforcement steel. This corrosion depends on the presence of aggressive agents such as chlorides in the surrounding medium. Numerous protection techniques have been employed to mitigate this corrosion. Among them, the use of corrosion inhibitors has been considered as one of the most effective solutions. In the present work, the influence of phosphate based inhibitor on the corrosion of reinforcing steels embedded in mortar, and immersed in sodium chloride solution, was investigated by acoustic emission technique. The monitoring of specimens shows that the phosphate based inhibitor addition in the mortar increase the threshold of chloride concentrations, causing the breakdown of steel passivation layer. Thus, the acoustic signatures of concrete fracture and of structure degradation during the corrosion of these specimens have been highlighted. Similarly, the mechanism of phosphate action in terms of preventing steel from corrosion in mortar specimens was analysed by characterization methods (SEM, XRD) of the steel-mortar interface.