Investigation of steel corrosion in cracked concrete: Evaluation of macrocell and microcell rates using Tafel polarization response

Inhomogeneous corrosion in reinforced concrete is investigated using a beam with a flexural crack intersecting the reinforcement. An Evans diagram representation of the macrocell corrosion system is developed. The relationship between the current density and the potentials relative to the crack obtained from the Tafel polarization responses of active and passive steel in concrete compares favorably with the experimental values. When both...