TY - CONF A1 - Hlavacek, Petr A1 - Reinemann, Steffi A1 - Gluth, Gregor A1 - Ebell, Gino A1 - Mietz, Jürgen ED - Serdar, M. ED - Stirmer, N. ED - Provis, J. T1 - Behaviour of reinforced alkali-activated fly ash mortars under leaching conditions N2 - Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete is one of the major deterioration mechanisms limiting the service life of reinforced concrete structures. While for conventional (Portland cement-based) concretes a great amount of experience exists in this regard, the factors that determine the onset of reinforcement corrosion in alkali-activated materials are incompletely understood yet. One aspect of corrosion protection is leaching and the accompanying changes of the concrete pore solution. In the present study, alkali-activated fly ash mortars with embedded carbon steel rebars were exposed to de-ionised water for periods up to 330 days, and the electrochemical response of the steel (free corrosion potential, polarisation resistance), the alteration of the mortar (ohmic resistance, mechanical strength, pore size distribution) as well as the pore solution composition were monitored. Although substantial alkali leaching was observed, the pH of the pore solution remained at values sufficient to protect the embedded steel from depassivation. The mortar did not exhibit indications of significant deterioration. Thus, the present results suggest that leaching is not critical for protection of steel reinforcement in alkali-activated fly ash mortars and concretes. T2 - International Conference on Sustainable Materials, Systems and Structures (SMSS 2019) CY - Rovinj, Croatia DA - 20.03.2019 KW - Alkali-activated materials KW - Steel corrosion KW - Leaching PY - 2019 SN - 978-2-35158-223-7 VL - 1 SP - 118 EP - 124 PB - RILEM Publications CY - Paris AN - OPUS4-47585 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -