ABSTRACT
Corrosion of reinforced steel bars has been considered to have been the most famous problem facing structural engineers in the last decade. To avoid the corrosion of the steel bars in a concrete structure, we need to understand the corrosion phenomenon so that we can provide different engineering solutions to this problem. It is obvious that the effect of corrosion not only creates a serious problem for structural engineers but also affects the national incomes of countries. Therefore, engineers must have an in-depth understanding of the nature of the corrosion process and the reasons for its occurrence. Understanding the problem is the first step to solving the problem.
In this chapter, the main principles of corrosion will be discussed—especially corrosion of the steel reinforcements in concrete. How and why corrosion occurs will be discussed. There are many ways to illustrate the corrosion process in concrete; we will illustrate it by using first principles, which will match with engineering studies; we will try to stay away from chemical equations. Understanding the corrosion process and how it occurs will be the first step to knowing how to protect steel bars from corrosion and to differentiate between the different protection methods that will be illustrated later.
