Recognizing the temperature effect on the measurements results of the corrosion risk of plain and stainless reinforcement by the galvanostatic method

Abstract Tests of used reinforced concrete structures by non-destructive methods are performed in natural, current environmental conditions. These conditions are constantly changing, especially the daily and annual changes in temperature and humidity can be large. Such changes may have a significant impact on the values of measurements performed with electrochemical methods, especially on exposed elements of hydrotechnical, road, rail or power lines. The article presents tests performed with the semi-destructive electrochemical polarizing method of galvanostatic pulse on specimens in the laboratory in reference to results of tests obtained on real elements. Three parameters were measured: stationary potential of the reinforcement, concrete cover resistivity and corrosion current density as a function of temperature. Based on the obtained results, a clear influence of the ambient temperature on the values of the measured parameters was found.