Early Detection of Concrete Bridge Deck Corrosion using Ground Penetrating Radar, Half-Cell Potential and Anode Ladder

Concrete bridge decks are ubiquitous elements on most highway bridges in the US. They are high-performance structures that often pose many vexing maintenance issues. Corrosion of buried reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks is a component of one of the dominant damage types in terms of overall bridge maintenance costs. It is hypothesized that early-stage detection, location and assessment of reinforcing steel corrosion can lead to significant reduction in damage progression and maintenance costs. To this end a study has been undertaken to assess the ability of various nondestructive or semi-nondestructive testing (NDT) methods to detect the early stages of reinforcing steel corrosion. This paper presents the results of corrosion detection using ground penetrating radar (GPR), half-cell and anode ladder. Based on the testing results, the conclusion can be drawn that earlier corrosion can be detected with these methods in a laboratory environment that simulates an aggressive chloride attack due to deicing salts.