Introduction
1.1 General
Corrosion is a major problem on reinforced concrete structures especially in the case of macrocell formation, because it can cause local loss of the reinforcement cross-section in conjunction with subsequent cracking and spalling of concrete cover in the structure. With increasing deterioration,the serviceability will be impaired and the load bearing capacity decreases. The inspectionand maintenance strategies to detect such damages can be costly and economic planning is mandatory. In off-shore structures, structural components are built to be embedded in water as in the case of harbours, oil rig platforms just to mention a few. It is however essential that proper design to safely carry the imposed loadings be considered. Most importantly, design for the durability and resistance to: chloride effect, salty water, de-icing salt, freeze thaw etc. must be thoroughly considered (Humphrey, 2003).
Once corrosion gets started due to chloride ingress, an odic areas can be detected through potential mapping. Potential mapping provides two-dimensional information about a structure.This kind of information can be used for a spatial evaluation of corroding areas. It has to be considered that potential fields are influenced by several parameters such as concrete cover and resistivity, which always will have an effect on the spatial variability.
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