Open Access

ARTICLE

Performance Evaluation of Using Electrochemical Deposition as a Repair Method for Reinforced Concrete Beams

Jiang-Jhy Chang¹, Weichung Yeih¹, Hui-Mi Hsu², Nai-Min Huang¹

1 Department of Harbor and River Engineering, Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan. Corresponding E-mail: jjc@mail.ntou.edu.tw
2 Department of Civil Engineering, National Ilan University, No. 1, Sec.1, Shen-Nong Road, Ilan, Ilan County, 260 Taiwan, ROC

Structural Longevity 2009, 1(2), 75-94. https://doi.org/10.3970/sl.2009.001.075

Abstract

In this paper, the corrosion prevention capability and mechanical behavior of a cracked reinforced concrete beam repaired by the electrochemical deposition method were investigated. To evaluate the effects of repair, the crack closure percentage, the water permeability, the corrosion rate of the reinforcing steels and the remaining flexural strength of the repaired RC beams after 48 and 96-hour accelerating corrosion processes were evaluated. Cracks with widths of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 mm and depths of 3, 7, 11 and 15 mm were artificially made on the RC beams. It was found that the crack closure percentage increased as the polarization time increased. However, the cracks could only be partially sealed within a polarization time of 8 weeks. Among all specimens, the highest crack closure percentage reached about 90%. The water permeability of the repaired RC beam was lower than that of the cracked one, indicating that the mass transportation paths were effectively sealed by the electrochemical deposition method. It was found that the corrosion rates were reduced after repair. In addition, the remaining flexural strengths of the repaired and unrepaired beams after the accelerating corrosion process were compared. Results showed that the repaired ones had much higher remaining flexural strengths than the unrepaired ones. It can be concluded that the electrochemical deposition method is good for repairing RC structures. It was also found that the electrochemical deposition method had a better efficiency of repairing small cracks than the low-pressure epoxy injection. However, in the presence of large cracks, the electrochemical deposition method may not compete with the low-pressure epoxy injection because of its low repairing efficiency.

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Keywords

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