Corrosion condition assessment of reinforced concrete

When to order a corrosion assessment

• Visible damage. Spalling, hollow-sounding concrete, cracks or rust stains on balconies, slab edges, columns, beams or pool shells.
• Before a restoration project. Measured quantities let your engineer size the repair scope and the budget before bids go out.
• A Milestone Phase 2 inspection. When your engineer calls for testing, see Milestone inspection Phase 2 testing.
• Repairs that keep failing. New patches in chloride-contaminated concrete can speed up corrosion in the concrete right next to them, so the damage moves around the patch.
• Before choosing protection. Galvanic anodes, impressed current or coatings each fit a different condition. See cathodic protection design support.

What the assessment includes

Each assessment combines field tests with lab results, because no single test explains a corrosion problem on its own.

• Visual and sounding survey. Cracks, stains, spalls and delaminations located on your drawings.
• Electrical continuity. Confirms the rebar is connected, which half-cell readings and cathodic protection both depend on.
• Half-cell potential mapping. The probability of active corrosion across a grid. See half-cell potential testing (ASTM C876).
• Concrete resistivity. How easily the concrete carries corrosion current, an indicator of how fast corrosion can progress.
• Chloride and carbonation. How far contamination has reached toward the steel. See chloride and carbonation testing.

What you get

A report written for two readers: a plain-language summary for the board or owner up front, and every reading, map and lab result in the appendix for your engineer.

• Marked-up drawings with delamination and half-cell potential maps
• Chloride, carbonation and resistivity results by location
• A prognosis: how the condition will develop if nothing is done
• Repair and protection options with expected service life, so you can compare cost per year of service, not just the upfront price

Why concrete corrodes in South Florida

Coastal buildings in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach take salt air and wind-driven rain that carry chlorides into the concrete. Heat and humidity keep it damp, which helps corrosion along. Pool water, leaks and ponding add more. In older buildings, carbonation also lowers the alkalinity that protects the steel, especially where the concrete cover is thin.

Corrosion products take up more space than the original steel, so the concrete cracks and spalls. By the time it is visible, corrosion has usually been active for years, and often in more places than the damage shows.