Corrosion risk of bonded, post-tensioned concrete elements

摘要

The effectiveness of cement grout, the most widely used corrosion-protection system for multistrand, bonded, post-tensioned tendons, has been under debate due to significant tendon-corrosion damage, several reported failures of individual tendons, and a few collapses of non-typical structures. Sixteen years ago, a comprehensive research program to examine the use of post-tensioning in bridge structures was initiated at the Phil M. Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin to identify durability concerns and existing technology, develop and carry out an experimental testing program, and develop durability-design guidelines. Four experimental programs were developed: high-performance-grout studies, long-term macrocell corrosion test series, long-term beam corrosion test series, and long-term column corrosion test series.