ABSTRACT
Bed joint reinforcement consisting of unprotected carbon steel was widely used to bridge windows and other openings in post-war brick buildings in the Scandinavian countries. Cracking caused by reinforcement corrosion constitute an increasing technical and economic problem, since removal of the corroding reinforcement can be both labour intensive and costly. Brick facades from the period before 1975 are often affected by cracking related to corrosion of the unprotected reinforcement bars. The main problems with cracks formed in bed joints containing corroding reinforcement is that they increase the risk for further damage, such as frost damage and microbiologic growth, due to an increased moisture up-take. The extracted reinforcement bars were taken from the first bed joint above the window opening by drilling holes and cutting chases in the mortar. The reinforcement bars and the surrounding bricks were often damaged during the removal, making evaluation of the corrosion damage by weighing unreliable.
