Concrete Alkali–Aggregate-Reactivity-Induced Steel Reinforcement Corrosion

The alkali–aggregate reactivity (AAR) of concrete, long known for mass concrete, can also induce corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete structures. Several examples are given for which the origin of observed reinforcement corrosion and loss of concrete cover originally was attributed to chloride-induced or to carbonation-induced reinforcement corrosion. Critical reviews of these cases, using available information, suggest that, more likely, the observed crack patterns and concrete deterioration are the result of long-term AAR-induced concrete matrix expansion and loss of concrete strength and that these effects occurred prior to the eventual initiation of reinforcement corrosion. This proposition is supported by finite element and other stress analyses of various concrete–steel ensembles. They show that concrete expansion produces tensile stresses localised at and near exterior concrete surfaces or relative to the reinforcement. The locations of high-stress and -strain zones so produced correlate with field observations of long-term concrete cracking and delamination. The present interpretations highlight that AAR may be a significant contributor to initiation and subsequent long-term development of reinforcement corrosion in structurally reinforced concretes.