Improving Life of Steel-Reinforced Concrete Structures by 300%

Today’s steel-reinforced concrete market continues to be a major part of the United States economy. With this demand, engineers look for ways to maximize the life of structural concrete by avoiding the corrosion of steel reinforcement. To date, this has been done by using a variety of protective coatings, alternative reinforcements, or maintenance techniques. However, these methods are generally costly or inconsistently effective. The first of its kind to be applied to rebar, this Self-Healing Coating offers a unique technology that actively combats corrosion inside structural concrete. This Self-Healing Coating uses chemical-filled microcapsules that heal the steel concrete as it corrodes.

The Self-Healing Coating does not compromise the interfacial bond between reinforcement and concrete. Preliminary accelerated corrosion testing indicates that corrosion is reduced and the life of the structural concrete is increased by at least 300% when compared to rebar with conventional coatings.