A study of the elastic moduli of corrosion products using nano-indentation techniques

This paper aims to determine the elastic moduli of corrosion products using nano-indentation techniques. Nano-indentation techniques were performed to determine the elastic modulus of four corrosion products collected from various environments. The results show that the corrosion products between a steel bar and concrete include the outer layer, which is the mill scale, and the inner layer, which is generated during the corrosion process and is considered to be the main reason for concrete cracking. The elastic modulus of the inner rust of S1, S2, S3 and S4 is 61, 86, 47 and 51 GPa, respectively.

► A nano-indentation test was performed for four corrosion products.
► Two rust layers were found in the interface between concrete and steel.
► The inner rust layer is primarily responsible for the concrete cracking.
► The generating environment influences the elastic modulus of the inner rust.