The national (and international) problem caused by the corrosion of steel in concrete is evidenced at this conference by the presence of five sessions devoted to a discussion of the various aspects and ramifications of the problem. For highway structures alone, corrosion caused by the application of deicing salt is a multi-billion dollar cost when the aspects of repair, rehabilitation, and expensive new construction to prevent corrosion are considered. Because of this extreme cost, it is important that a rational plan be developed for the repair of existing structures, according to their degree of damage. While the visible aspect of damage in the late stages of deterioration is spalling of the concrete, many bridges and other structures subject to chloride-induced corrosion of the steel exhibit no outward manifestation of corrosion until a fairly late stage. Under these conditions, it may be possible to repair the structure at a more reasonable cost if detection of this latent stage of corrosion is accomplished. To this end, electrochemical and electrical techniques for corrosion detection are receiving increasing attention.
