The Corrosion of Steel and Zirconium in Anaerobic Concrete

An experimental investigation has been made of the corrosion behavior of steel and Zircalloy 2 in deaerated synthetic pore solution and of steel in deaerated mortar. Zircalloy 2 was found to be passivated at all values of pH and electrochemical potentials investigated. Its passive corrosion rate was of the order of < 0.01 ..mu..m/year. The steel exhibited active corrosion rates of a few ..mu..m/year with hydrogen evolution as the corresponding cathodic reaction. The measured free potentials indicated, however, that the hydrogen partial pressures were less than 1 atm.