A novel method for corrosion protection of rebar in concrete is reported. In this method, the rebar is galvanically protected by attaching a zinc wire along the length of the rebar. The results from accelerated corrosion tests indicated that the zinc wire effectively protected the rebar and it could last longer than the zinc coating of equivalent weight on a galvanized rebar. The selfcorrosion loss and galvanic-corrosion loss of the zinc wire depended on the water/cement ratio and the concrete cover thickness. The galvanic-corrosion loss is also a function of the size of the protected steel, and for a steel plate larger than several centimetres most of the corrosion loss is due to galvanic corrosion. More effective protection can be obtained when the surface of the steel is coated with an insulating coating.
Keywords: Corrosion, galvanic protection, concrete, rebar, zinc wire, accelerated test.