Within a project sponsored by ILZRO to evaluate suitability of galvanized rebars in different tropical marine environments, the performance of differently treated rebar systems was investigated regarding their corrosion behavior. Especially local manufacturing conditions have been investigated. Extensive longtime exposure of various systems under severe marine environments in South-East India, East Mexico and Florida showed suitability of locally manufactured galvanized reinforcement. Investigations showed that galvanized reinforcement has a better corrosion resistance than plain steel in concrete too. The zinc cover can retard the steel corrosion once the aggressive media have reached the reinforcement. Increasing concrete quality reduces the corrosion susceptibility of embedded reinforce-ment tremendously because of reduced permeability for aggressive media. Additional chromating of galvanized surface does not increase corrosion resistance significantly. Quantitative evaluation of results should help choosing the right corrosion prevention resp. protection measure for structures in tropical marine environment especially considering local conditions in countries with a weak economic power.
Keywords: Galvanized Reinforcement, Chloride Induced Corrosion, Tropical Marine Atmosphere, Long-term Atmospheric Corrosion, Zinc, Corrosion Protection