Concrete, Cement, Corrosion - IA1 Engineering

Cement

A binding agent used to bind various construction materials and an essential ingredient of concrete and mortar.

Concrete

A composite material made of binding material (cement or lime), aggregate (gravel, sand), and water.

Reinforced cement concrete (RCC)

Concrete that is reinforced with steel to take on some load, sometimes prestressed to apply compressive forces before experiencing tensile stress.

Corrosion

An attack on a material caused by chemical reactions with the surrounding medium.

Chemical corrosion

Oxidation that occurs by the action of dry gases at high temperatures.

Electrochemical corrosion

Corrosion that takes place in electrode reactions, often in humid environments.

Electrode potential

The reactivity of metals measured by their voltage; metals with lower values corrode, while those with higher values do not.

General attack corrosion

Corrosion that affects the entire surface of a metal structure due to both chemical and electrochemical reactions.

Pitting corrosion

Localized corrosion that creates small holes in the surface of a metal.

Galvanic corrosion

Corrosion that occurs when two different metals are located in a liquid electrolyte such as salt water.

Environmental cracking

Cracking, fatigue, and brittleness that occurs in metals due to stressful environmental conditions.

How to prevent corrosion

Methods include using the appropriate metal type, protective coatings, environmental measures, sacrificial coatings, corrosion inhibitors, and design modifications.

Pre-stressed concrete

Concrete where cables are in tension before the concrete is poured.

Post-tensioned concrete

Concrete with cables threaded through holes in cured concrete and then tensioned.