Overall Research Project Description Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is an advanced concrete material with superior structural and durability performance. UHPC shows much higher compressive strength (above18 ksi), tensile strength and post cracking ductility as compared to normal concrete. In addition, UHPC has very dense microstructure, effectively preventing harmful substances, such as chloride ions, to penetrate into the interior of the material, therefore offering excellent protection for steel rebars inside the UHPC. The exceptional corrosion resistance leads to widespread interest by civil engineers in implementing this advanced material in infrastructures, such as bridges, in coastal regions, where reinforcement corrosion is the major deterioration mechanism.

However, when UHPC cracks under service loadings, these cracks may serve as pathways through which deleterious substances penetrate, potentially reducing the protection for steel rebar against corrosion. This research aims to employ an in-situ testing approach to monitor the corrosion of steel reinforcement within cracked UHPC specimens to establish a meaningful relationship between the patterns of cracks and the corrosion progression of the steel rebars. This will help to aid the design and maintenance practices of UHPC infrastructures.

Throughout the project, students are anticipated to acquire the subsequent knowledge and skill sets in the following area: 1) a foundational understanding of the corrosion science; 2) proficiency in corrosion measurement through electrochemical techniques; and 3) competence in both the formulation and characterization of ultra-high performance concrete materials.