Comparison Of Corrosion Behavior Of Different Prestressing Strand Types

In order to complement a large-scale long-term investigation of prestressing strand types for post-tensionsing of bridges, passive and active electrochemical tests were carried out on bare and grouted specimens exposed to salt water conditions as a function of time. The materials tested included seven-wire strands made of hot dip galvanized or zinc coated steel, stainless steel, stainless clad steel, copper clad steel, flow-filled epoxy coated steel and conventional steel as control. Based on corrosion potentials, polarization resistance tests, potentiodynamic tests, weight loss, and visual observations, epoxy coated strands, stainless and stainless clad strands were identified as possible alternatives to conventional steel that might help to minimize corrosion.