Rebar Corrosion Due to Chlorides in the Presence of Different Cations

Recent attention on effects of climate change in the Pacific island countries (PIC’s) have focused on a multitude of areas which are at risk in the Pacific region. These include food security, flora and fauna, land accessibility, groundwater contamination and so on. These aspects are essential for sustainable development of the small island states in the Pacific region. One issue, which appears synonymous with climate change in the Pacific is sea-level rise. The rising sea level can have detrimental effects on civil infrastructure since its intrusion further inland can lead to deterioration of nearby civil metallic infrastructure due to corrosion. Since metropolisation of major PIC’s are mainly near the sea or along coast line, this presents a significant problem within the overall paradigm of sustainable development. In this regards, a study was undertaken to investigate the influences of different chloride salts (i.e. NaCl, KCl, MgCl₂) on the corrosion of steel re-inforcing bars (rebar’s) in concrete mortars. This study is important to understand structural health conditions, especially for foundations in ground, and to understand the corrosion intensities in the presence of different cations, which can be significantly controlled by groundwater migration. The galvanostatic pulse technique was used to evaluate the effect of varying chloride contents of different salts on rebar corrosion. Results from this study are presented in an attempt to provide a conceptual model for understanding the interaction of aforementioned salts with metallic infrastructure. A holistic discussion is presented which are important for sustainable development in the PIC’s.