Analysis of half-cell potential measurement for corrosion of reinforced concrete

Abstract Non-destructive evaluation techniques by the half-cell potential measurement are applied to estimate the corrosion of reinforcing steel-bars in concrete slabs under cyclic wet and dry conditions. The three-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) is applied to study the potential distributions and current flows of rebar. Then, the inverse boundary element method (IBEM) is applied to experimental results to identify the corrosion states. The influence of a void on the potential distribution and current flow is also investigated. Results show that the half-cell potential measurement is marginally successful, compared with analytical results of potential distribution and current flow by BEM. It is demonstrated that results by IBEM analysis identify clearly corroded areas.