Corrosion Inhibitors Are Proven Technology To Extend Life in Roads, Bridges, Parking Garages, Wastewater Treatment Plants, Port Facilities and Many Other Structures.

"The average bridge deck, located in a snow-belt state, with black reinforcing steel and 40 mm (1.5 in.) of concrete cover spalls in 7 to 10 years after construction and requires rehabilitation in about 20 years after construction." (From FHWA Publication No. 00-081, August, 2000)

The Key Bridges in Florida were constructed without the benefit of a corrosion inhibitor. Corrosion problems required costly renovation in only eight years.

Where salt is used intentionally (for deicing), it does melt the snow, but it also corrodes the steel in concrete. Salt may also be unintentionally present through the environment (seawater or airborne salt spray). Adding a corrosion inhibitor to concrete is the most cost-effective means of protection against salt corrosion and enhancing the protective environment that concrete provides to steel. Corrosion inhibitors have been used commercially in concrete for over 20 years with outstanding results. Concrete structures can be constructed with a design life of greater than 100 years.

A corrosion inhibitor should be used with High Performance Concrete, HPC. It is usually stronger - and less permeable to salt. There is no standard HPC recipe. Some states have recommended minimum strength levels and corrosion protection by including specified levels of a corrosion inhibitor admixture. For example, it was recently reported that Maryland has specified strengths of 7000 psi for supporting structure and 4200 psi for deck concrete. In addition to cement content and water-cementitious ratio, air content, pozzolan content, polypropylene fibers, and corrosion inhibitors were specified. Epoxy-coated rebars were not specified. Recent investigations have raised concerns about the use of painted rebars in moist environments.