Threshold concentration of chlorides in concrete for stainless steel reinforcement: Classic austenitic and new duplex stainless steel

Stainless steel rebars is used to lengthen the service life of structures in aggressive media. Corrosion resistance was studied in five grades of mortar-embedded stainless steel: EN 1.4307, EN 1.4404, EN 1.4482, EN 1.4362 and EN 1.4462. A modified accelerated chloride attack was applied to prevent steel rebar polarisation and artificial re-passivation. The critical chloride concentration was determined. Based on corrosion rate, service life was calculated for a given exposure at two probability levels.