Corrosion behavior of concrete produced with diatomite and zeolite exposed to chlorides

Chloride induced reinforcement corrosion is widely accepted to be the most frequent mechanism causing premature degradation of reinforced concrete structures. The electrochemical impedance of reinforcing steel in diatomite- and zeolite-containing concrete exposed to sodium chloride was assessed. Chemical, physical and mineralogical properties of three concrete samples (20% diatomite, 20% zeolite, and a reference containing neither) were correlated with corrosion investigations. The steel-reinforced samples were exposed to 3.5% NaCl solution for 500 days, and measured every 15 days via EIS method. Results indicated that porosity and capillary spaces increase the diffusion rate of water and electrolytes throughout the concrete, making it more susceptible to cracking. Reinforcement in the reference concrete was the most corroded compare to the zeolite and the diatomite samples.