ChloridecontentandthepHvalueoftheporesolutionintheneighborhoodofsteelreinforcementaredecisiveparametersforinitiationandrateofcorrosion.Theporesolutionofcementmortarandhardenedcementpastehasbeenexpressedfromtheporespacebyhighpressureintheinvestigation.Theinfluenceofthewater-cementratio,age,andadditionofchloridetothefreshmixonchloridecontentintheporesolutionhasbeendeterminedbyionchromatography.AtthesametimethepHvalueoftheporesolutionhasbeendetermined.Thedissolvedchloridecontentdecreaseswithincreaseinthewater-cementratio.Theamountofboundchlorideincreaseswithtime,butitdecreaseswithdecreasingcontentofdissolvedchlorideintheporesolution.Asignificantinfluenceofcarbonationonthedissolvedchloridecontentoftheporesolutionhasbeenobserved.Withcompletecarbonation,thedissolvedchloridecontentincementmortarandhardenedcementpasteincreasesbyafactorbetween2and12.Theboundchloridedecreasesby27%-4%.Asexpected,thepHvaluedecreasesfromaround13.2toaslowas8.0duetocarbonation.ItcanbeconcludedthatcarbonationnotonlylowersthepHvaluebutliberatesboundchloride.Thisisoneobviousreasonwhythecombinedactionofchloridepenetrationandcarbonationacceleratessteelcorrosionandshortenstheservicelifeofreinforcedconcretestructures.
