Proposal for an alternative operative method for determination of polarisation resistance for the quantitative evaluation of corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete cooling towers

This paper summarises the results obtained from numerical simulations of an operational measurement mode of polarisation resistance adapted for evaluating corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete on cooling towers. A simple operational measurement mode of Rp is proposed, adapted for cooling towers prone to corrosion due to carbonation. By means of numerical experimentations, calculation diagrams and semi-empirical equations are built involving the different influencing parameters: concrete cover to steel reinforcement, concrete resistivity and current intensity injected from the counter electrode. Finally, a first application of the proposed procedure for calculating the real value of Rp in laboratory conditions is presented.