Rebar corrosion in carbonated concrete exposed to variable humidity conditions. Interpretation of Tuutti's curve

This paper deals with the modelling of the rebar corrosion kinetics in unsaturated concrete cover. The concrete is assumed carbonated resulting in an active corrosion of steel. The corrosion kinetics is coupled with the ionic transport processes. Free corrosion in different concretes is studied in terms of ambient relative humidity. The numerical results obtained by the finite volume method are discussed and compared with a reported experiment performed on a carbonated concrete. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.