ABSTRACT
Reinforcing steel embedded in concrete shows a high resistance to corrosion because the cement paste in good quality concrete provides an alkaline environment with pH (12.5-13.5) that protects the steel from corrosion by forming a protective ferric oxide film that passivates the surface of the steel bar when it is embedded in concrete. This passive film is only a few nanometers thick and is stable in the highly alkaline concrete (pH approx. 11-13.5) (Broomfield, 1997).
