Common Causes of Concrete Corrosion

The concrete industry employs quite a few methods for reinforcing today’s parking garages, buildings, stadiums, bridges – just a few in the long list of public and private concrete structures. But what are some of the factors that contribute to concrete corrosion in the first place?

Rust From Within

Billions of dollars are spent every year on the repair and maintenance of deteriorating concrete, a huge chunk of it caused by steel corrosion from within the structures themselves. Many issues regarding the corrosion of steel inside various types of concrete are still being discovered and researched by scientists and engineers.

Temperature Fluctuations

Thermal damage from long term excessive temperatures or fires causes concrete to expand and then contract when it is cooled down, and if temperatures fluctuate rapidly, the concrete could even explode.

Part of the Job

Damage occurs to concrete reactor structures built for nuclear power plants, exposure to neutrons and gamma radiation can cause paramagnetic deficiencies that are hard to spot.

Chemical Reactions

Concrete is fortified against bacteria, unless you’ve got a situation where types of harmless bacteria meet with things like untreated sewage to form a type of sulfuric acid. Such caustic materials can erode calcium carbonates within cured cement and cause weakness in the structure as a whole.

Structural Degradation

Cracks in concrete are very dangerous, because water can flow into them and dissolve minerals residing inside of the aggregates present in the cement mixture. If decalcification occurs from distilled water that washes calcium from the concrete, the concrete will lose its elasticity and become brittle, which is not safe.

Salt

Sea water corrodes concrete, more above the surface than structures that are permanently submerged. Constant battering from waves and the stones and gravel they carry, as well as salt crystallization and the whipping winds can really do some extensive damage to concrete over time.

Avoiding concrete corrosion is almost impossible. But if you know what to look for, you can rely on small repairs so you can avoid costly problems.