Novel Self-healing Concrete with Anticorrosion Properties for High Durability

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of a proposed concrete mix that enables self-healing of cracks and protects steel bars, creating a sustainable resilient concrete solution. Corrosion is a major problem that can significantly reduce the service life of reinforced-concrete (RC) structures, resulting in high maintenance and repair costs. The present study is conducted through accelerated corrosion laboratory experiments on RC samples that included a novel calcium nitrate based anticorrosion agent. Additionally, the effectiveness of the samples in resisting corrosion was also examined when a bacteria-based self-healing admixture was added to the mix. The corrosion inhibitor was added in two proportions by weight of cement, i.e. 4% and 8%. The samples were monitored for corrosion rate, setting time and mechanical properties before and after exposure to the corrosive environment. The results show that the selected corrosion inhibitors are effective in reducing the corrosion rate of the RC samples tested. The mechanical properties of the samples were also improved with the use of corrosion inhibitors, with an increase in compressive strength and enhanced setting time. The study concludes that calcium nitrate based corrosion inhibitors were effective in protecting RC structures and this was enhanced by using self-healing agents that help cracks to close automatically. The findings have practical implications as it can lead to improved durability, reduced maintenance costs and increased service life.