Plain carbon steel reinforcing bars (rebar) were embedded in concrete blocks of varying waterto-cement ratios (w/c) and exposed to chlorides. A fraction of these blocks had sodium chloride added as an admixture, with all of the blocks subjected to cyclical ponding with a saturated solution of sodium chloride. Electrochemical chloride extraction (ECE) was then used to remove the chlorides from these blocks while making electrical measurements in the different layers between the anode and cathode. It was revealed that the resistance of the concrete surface layer increases during ECE, inevitably restricting current flow, while the resistance of the underlying concrete decreases or remains constant. A surface residue was observed on the concrete following ECE. Analyses of the residue revealed that it contains calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, and other yet unidentified minor components.
Keywords: concrete, chloride, corrosion, electrochemical chloride extraction, electrochemical chloride removal, rebar