An alternative approach to protect micro-cracked reinforced concrete under a marine environment

This research aimed to establish prevention guidelines and mitigate the effects of chloride penetration in micro-cracked concrete by enhancing the quality of additive materials or fly ash and employing galvanic cathodic protection to guard against steel corrosion. The effects of micro-crack deterioration in reinforced concrete beams on the corrosion of reinforcing steel bars were investigated. Fly ash (FA) was replaced ordinary Portland cement (OPC) at rates of 0 %, 15 %, 30 %, and 45 % by weight of binder, with a water-to-binder (W/B) ratio of 0.45. Prevention measures included removing large particle sizes of the fly ash, and grinding to achieve high fineness, ensuring that particles retained on a sieve No.325 were less than 5 %. The test results showed that increasing the replacement of OPC with FA improved the chloride penetration resistance of the concrete, with lower detected chloride content compared to OPC concrete, and reduced the weight loss of the reinforcing steel bars. Additionally, the improvement of fly ash (IPF concrete) reduced the electric current to less than 20 mA, whereas the control concrete (PC) exhibited electric currents of about 80–100 mA. Another effective method for protecting against steel corrosion is the use of galvanic cathodic protection (GCP) in concrete, which can help reduce the electric current to 10 mA. Guidelines and preventive measures are suggested to ensure that structures can withstand environmental over time, maintaining their reliability and safety throughout their service life.