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JMEPEG (2009) 18:11021108

DOI: 10.1007/s11665-008-9336-z

Effect of Alloying Elements on Tensile Properties,

Microstructure, and Corrosion Resistance
of Reinforcing Bar Steel
B.K. Panigrahi, S. Srikanth, and G. Sahoo
(Submitted July 31, 2008; in revised form November 21, 2008)
The effect of copper, phosphorus, and chromium present in a semikilled reinforcing bar steel produced by
in-line quenching [thermomechanical treatment (TMT)] process on the tensile properties, microstructure,
and corrosion resistance of steel in simulated chloride environment has been investigated. The results have
been compared with that of a semikilled C-Mn reinforcing bar steel without these alloying elements
produced by the same process route. Though the amount of phosphorus (0.11 wt.%) was higher than that
specied by ASTM A 706 standard, the Cu-P-Cr steel exhibited a composite microstructure, and good
balance of yield stress, tensile stress, elongation, and ultimate tensile to yield stress ratio. Two conventional
test methods, namely, the salt fog, and potentiodynamic polarization tests, were used for the corrosion test.
The rust formed on Cu-P-Cr steel was adherent, and was of multiple colors, while the corrosion products
formed on the C-Mn steel were weakly adherent and relatively darker blue. Also, the free corrosion
potential of the Cu-P-Cr steel was nobler, and the corrosion current was markedly lower than that of a
C-Mn rebar. The Cu-P-Cr steel did not develop any pits/deep grooves on its surface even after the
prolonged exposure to salt fog. The improved corrosion resistance of the Cu-P-Cr steel has been attributed
to the presence of copper, phosphorus, and small amount of chromium in the dense, adherent rust layer on
the surface of reinforcing steel bar. A schematic mechanism of charge transfer has been proposed to explain
the improved corrosion resistance of the Cu-P-Cr alloyed TMT rebar.

Keywords

alloy reinforcement bar, corrosion, microstructure,

tensile properties, thermomechanical treatment

1. Introduction
High strength reinforcing steel bars (rebar) (yield stress:
420 MPa min), produced by in-line quenching thermomechanical treatment (TMT) process, are the backbone for general
construction, and are used in combination with cement concrete
for reinforced cement concrete (RCC) structures (Ref 1). The
properties of these rebars are usually modied by alloying with
suitable elements for use in specic areas such as seismic prone
zones, and corrosive environments: coastal, marine, and
industrial. When used in marine, and regions with high
humidity content, the rebars should have good corrosion
resistance properties. In seismic zones, the specic ultimate
tensile to yield stress (UTS/YS) ratio should be maintained
close to 1.25 as specied by ASTM A 706:2006 (Gr. 60).
The TMT process for rebars involves rolling billets in a
continuous mill comprising roughing, intermediate, and nishing stands. The nish rolling temperature of billets is maintained relatively on higher side (about 1000
C). After the

B.K. Panigrahi, S. Srikanth and G. Sahoo, Steel Authority of India

Limited, Research and Development Center, Ranchi 834002, India.
Contact e-mail: dr.bkpanigrahi1948@gmail.com.

1102Volume 18(8) November 2009

nish rolling, the bar passes through an in-line quenching unit

in which pressurized water is sprayed on the hot rebar to form a
rim of martensite (M) on the surface of bar while the core still
remains in austenite (c) region. After emergence from the
cooling unit, the heat transfer from the core of the bar to surface
tempers the outer martensitic rim (Tm). Eventually, the core
transforms to a two-phase ferrite (F)-pearlite (P) structure or a
mixed structure depending upon the alloying elements present
in the steel (Ref 2). The TMT process is schematically shown in
Fig. 1.
Carbon-manganese steel rebars are subjected to corrosive
attack in the RCC structure, particularly in marine environment
when threshold chloride concentrations are exceeded especially
at high temperature and humidity (Ref 3). The corrosion is
aggravated by diffusion of chloride ions through micropores of
concrete. The diffusion of chloride follows the second Ficks
law (Ref 4):
@cx
@ 2 cx
D 2
@t
@x

Eq 1

Equation 1 can be solved for boundary conditions: c = co at

t = 0, 0 < x < , and c = cs at x = 0, 0 < t < to yield
p
cx cs 1
erf x=2 Dt
Eq 2
where cs is the surface chloride concentration (%), cx the proportion of chloride at a certain depth (%), D the chloride
diffusion coefcient (m2/s), x the depth of penetration (mm),
t the time (s), and erf is the Gaussian error function.
When chloride reacts with steel substrate, the following
reactions occur (Ref 5):

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Fe ! Fe2 2e

Eq 3

Fe2 2Cl
! 2FeCl complex

Eq 4

FeCl complex 2OH
! Fe(OH)2 Cl

Eq 5

4Fe(OH)2 2H2 O O2 ! 4Fe(OH)3

Eq 6

2Fe(OH)3 ! Fe2 O3 3H2 O

Eq 7

O2 2H2 O 4e
! 4OH

Eq 8

The chloride ions are not consumed by oxidation, and thereby

contribute to corrosion as shown by Eq 4 and 5.
Cement contains calcium hydroxide which produces calcium carbonate (chalk) in the presence of carbon dioxide, and
moisture in the environment (Ref 1, 6). The formation of
carbonic acid in the cement micropores also lowers the pH of
water in the pores of concrete close to 8 from 13.0 to 13.5,
making the steel rebar vulnerable to corrosion. The depth of
penetration of CO2 is determined by the rate, which depends
primarily upon the temperature, and the concentration of CO2 at
the surface of concrete. The depth of penetration (x) varies with
the time (t), and follows a parabolic relationship (Ref 4):
p
xk t
Eq 9
where k is a constant dependent on the concrete thickness
and ambient temperature.
Calcium carbonate also deposits in the pores, and with time
the pH of pore water gets reduced to about 8 and may contain
products of hydration, namely, silicates, aluminates; and the
ferrite in steel becomes unstable, and corrodes. The corrosion
products or rust being more voluminous exert pressure on the
surrounding concrete and lead to localized spalling. The
corrosive attack can be severe due to wind-borne chloride ions
from sea that can penetrate through the micropores in concrete.
The corrosion is aggravated by high humidity and temperature.
One of the practical methods available in mitigating
corrosion without sacricing tensile properties (Ref 7) is

modication of alloy chemistry by addition of corrosion

inhibiting alloying elements such as copper, phosphorus,
chromium, molybdenum, and nickel in steel. In this article,
the effect of these alloying elements on the tensile properties,
microstructure, and corrosion resistance of a semikilled TMT
reinforcing steel bar has been discussed.

2. Materials and Procedure

Figure 2 shows the general view of a 32-mm-diameter TMT
rebar with transverse ribs prior to its use in the reinforced
structure. In this study, 70-mm-long cut pieces of a C-Mn TMT
rebar conforming to ASTM A 706 (Gr. 60) along with a Cu-PCr TMT rebar of 32-mm diameter each were used. For optical
microscopy, 15-mm-long pieces were cut from both the rebars,
polished on the transverse section, and etched in 2% nital. The
hardness of rim, transition zone, and core of alloy rebar was
evaluated using a Vickers microhardness tester with a load of
0.49 N. Five indentations were made in each zone to calculate
the average hardness for each zone.
Samples of C-Mn, and Cu-P-Cr alloyed TMT rebars 70 mm
in length, were exposed in a salt fog chamber in duplicate as per
ASTM B-117 for evaluating the corrosion behavior in chloride
environment. A solution of NaCl (5%) was used to generate salt
fog intermittently (20 min of spray time followed by 40 min of
drying time) to simulate wetting, and drying cycles in the
chamber. The rebar samples were removed from the chamber
after 90 days (2160 h) and rinsed with water to remove any
leftover salt deposits from the surface, and dried. The TMT
rebar samples were subsequently cleaned free of corrosion
products using Clarkes solution (ASTM G1:1981).
Potentiodynamic polarization scans were also performed to
assess the corrosion behavior of rebars in 3.5% NaCl solution
as per ASTM G 5. The tests were conducted using an EG&G
PARC, Model 273A potentiostat, and a three electrode cell,
wherein the rebar sample, saturated calomel, and graphite were
used as working, reference, and auxiliary electrodes, respectively. The test was performed at a scan rate of 1 mV/s. Five
samples were tested for each steel composition to ensure the
reproducibility of results.

3. Results
3.1 Visual Examination
The surface of as-rolled TMT rebar (Fig. 2) did not show
any pits or groves. However, the surface of the corroded rebars
was irregular with corrosion products lling the valleys
between the transverse ribs. The corrosion products (rust) were

Fig. 1

Schematic of the TMT process for rebar

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Fig. 2 General view of a 32-mm-diameter rebar

Volume 18(8) November 20091103

Fig. 3

Appearance of rust developed on (a) C-Mn rebar and (b) alloy rebar: (A) goethite, (B) akaganeite, (C) lepidocrocite, and (D) magnetite

Fig. 4

Appearance of the surface of rebars after removal of corrosion product: (a) C-Mn rebar and (b) alloy rebar

Table 1 Chemical composition (wt.%) of experimental reinforcing steels along with as-specied composition
in the standard
Steel
C-Mn
Cu-P-Cr
ASTM A 706 Gr. 60

Mn

Si

Cu

Cr

N, ppm

0.19
0.14
0.30 max

1.14
0.75
1.50 max

0.01
0.04
0.50 max

0.020
0.028
0.04 max

0.018
0.107
0.035 max

Trace
0.33

Trace
0.13

63
81

of varying color and hue (Fig. 3). The dark brown corrosion
products are presumed to be a-FeOOH (goethite) (A) and
b-FeOOH (akaganeite) (B); the orange colored rust is
c-FeOOH (lepidocrocite) (C); and the blackish regions are
Fe3O4 (magnetite) (D) (Ref 8). The comparative appearance of
the surface of rebars after the removal of rust is shown in
Fig. 4. The surface of C-Mn TMT rebar showed several pits
and a few longitudinal channels up to 1.5 mm deep running
across the helical transverse ribs (Fig. 4a), whereas the surface
of Cu-P-Cr alloyed rebar was relatively free from pits and
channels (Fig. 4b).

Table 2 Tensile properties of experimental reinforcing

steels along with properties as specied in the standard
for 32-mm-diameter bar
Ultimate
Yield
tensile stress
Total
stress (YS),
(UTS),
UTS/ elongation,
MPa
MPa
YS
%

Steel

3.2 Chemical Composition

C-Mn
Cu-P-Cr
ASTM A 706
Gr. 60
Bar diameter: 32 mm

As shown in Table 1, the C-Mn steel is a medium carbon

steel with carbon, and manganese higher than alloy steel, and
conforms to ASTM A 706 standard. The alloyed steel had
copper, phosphorus, and chromium. The content of phosphorus
in Cu-P-Cr alloyed rebar was higher than that stipulated by the
standard.

elongation of both the steels conform to ASTM A 706

standard. However, UTS/YS ratio of C-Mn steel was lower
than the specied minimum value of 1.25 as per this
standard.

3.3 Tensile Properties

3.4 Macrostructure

Table 2 presents the tensile properties of the investigated

rebars. It was observed that the yield stress, UTS, and percent

The macrostructure of the as-rolled Cu-P-Cr alloyed steel

rebar (b) on the transverse section is shown in Fig. 5. The

1104Volume 18(8) November 2009

519
512
420-540

636
640
550 min

1.22
1.25
1.25 min

21
20
12 min

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

structure can be delineated into three distinctly separate regions.

The darker region corresponds to tempered martensite rim, and
is followed by an intermediate bainitic transition zone, and a

ferrite-pearlite core. Similar microstructures were observed for

C-Mn TMT rebar.

3.5 Microstructure and Hardness

Figure 6 shows the composite microstructure of TMT
rebars comprising rim, transition zone, and core. The rim
(Fig. 6b, top) of Cu-P-Cr alloyed TMT rebar showed tempered
martensite (Hardness 287 VHN). The transition zone (Fig. 6b,
mid) adjacent to the rim revealed bainitic structure (Hardness
258 VHN). The core (Fig. 6b, bottom) showed a mixed
structure (Hardness 229 VHN) comprising non-polygonal
ferrite (NPF), polygonal ferrite (PF), Fe3C (cementite), and
bainite (B). In comparison, the rim (Fig. 6a, top) of C-Mn
rebar showed a tempered martensite structure (Hardness 286
VHN). The transition zone (Fig. 6a, mid) was predominantly
bainitic (Hardness 216 VHN), and the core (Fig. 6a, bottom)
showed a polygonal ferrite-pearlite structure (Hardness 185
VHN).

3.6 Salt Spray Test

Fig. 5

Macrostructure of alloy rebar (b) in as hot rolled condition

Table 3 shows the corrosion rate of reinforcing steels after

90 days exposure in salt fog chamber. The corrosion rate of the

Fig. 6 Microstructure of (a) C-Mn rebar and (b) alloy rebar: PF, polygonal ferrite; NPF, non-polygonal ferrite; P, pearlite; B, bainite; Fe3C,
cementite

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Volume 18(8) November 20091105

rebars was calculated using the following equation after

exposure in salt spray as per ASTM G 1:
Corrosion rate (mpy)

kW
Atd

where k = 3.45 9 106, W is the weight loss (g), d the density

of steel (g/cm3), A the area (cm2), and t is the exposure time
(h).
It can be inferred from the table that the ratio of corrosion
rates of C-Mn, and Cu-P-Cr TMT rebars, i.e. the corrosion
resistance index (CRI) of Cu-P-Cr rebar, is 1.74.

3.7 Potentiodynamic Test

The potentiodynamic polarization behavior of the Cu-P-Cr
alloyed and C-Mn TMT rebars in 3.5% NaCl solution is
depicted in Fig. 7. The corresponding electrochemical parameters are shown in Table 4. While the free corrosion potential
and corrosion current density of Cu-P-Cr rebar were -410 mV
and 93.80 lA/cm2, respectively, the C-Mn rebar exhibited
more active corrosion potential (-560 mV) and higher current
density (169.2 lA/cm2). The corrosion rates of Cu-P-Cr TMT
rebar and C-Mn TMT rebar were found to be 2.16 and
3.84 mpy, respectively. This translates into a CRI (ratio of the

Fig. 7 Potentiodynamic polarization behavior of C-Mn rebar and

alloy rebar in 3.5% aqueous NaCl

corrosion rate of C-Mn and Cu-P-Cr rebars) of 1.77 for the

Cu-P-Cr rebar.

4. Discussion
The build-up of rust or iron oxide proceeds by anodic and
cathodic reactions on iron and steel substrate that involves
transfer of charge. Though there are 16 types of known
iron oxides (Ref 8), only goehite (a-FeOOH), akaganeite
(b-FeOOH), lepidocrocite (c-FeOOH), and magnetite (Fe3O4)
were found in the corrosion products of the investigated
reinforcing steels. a-FeOOH or goethite structure consists of
hexagonal close packed array of anions (O2- and OH-) stacked
along [010] direction with Fe3+ ions located in half of the
available interstices. c-FeOOH or lepidocrocite structure consists of arrays of cubic close packed anions arranged along
[150] direction with Fe3+ ions in octahedral interstices. In
b-FeOOH or akaganeite structure, anions are arranged in a
body centered cubic array with Fe3+ ions in octahedral
interstices. In Fe3O4 or magnetite, 32 oxygen ions are arranged
in [111] direction of face-centered cubic unit cell with Fe3+ ions
occupying both tetrahedral and octahedral sites. In these oxides,
cations other than Fe can also occupy the vacant sites of the
arrays of anions (oxygen) subject to the condition involving
similarity of the ionic radii, and the valency of cations.
When alloying elements are used, they increase the driving
electromotive force required for corrosion to occur due to poor
electron transfer behavior of the barrier at metal/environment
interface. Phosphorus, chromium, and copper are alloying
elements in the present alloyed TMT rebar. Sulfur is an
impurity element (Ref 9). Nitrogen is also an impurity but due
to its relatively low concentration (81 ppm) it is not detrimental
to the rebar steel. The alloy design ensured low carbon and
sulfur. Carbon is detrimental since it forms pearlite in as-rolled
steel, making the steel vulnerable to micro-galvanic corrosion.
Carbon also reduces the breakdown potential (Ref 10) (Table 5)
of passive lm on steel. A negative breakdown potential is
liable to favor diffusion of chloride ions to the steel substrate.
In a TMT rebar, tempered martensite formed from higher
carbon steel is likely to corrode faster than that of low carbon
steel tempered martensite in chloride environment. This is
because the Ms temperature of steel with lower carbon is at a

Table 3 Corrosion rates of reinforcing steels after

90 days exposure to 5% salt fog
Steel
C-Mn
Cu-P-Cr

Area, cm2

Initial
weight, g

Final
weight, g

Corrosion
rate, mpy

68.2
68.8

431.0
435.8

419.6
429.2

34.0
19.5

Table 4 Electrochemical parameters and corrosion rates

of reinforcing steels obtained from potentiodynamic
polarization test in 3.5% NaCl solution

Steel
C-Mn
Cu-P-Cr

Free corrosion
potential
(mV versus SCE)

Corrosion
current, lA

Corrosion
rate, mpy

-560.2
-410.9

169.2
93.8

3.849
2.162

1106Volume 18(8) November 2009

Table 5 Effect of alloying elements on breakdown

potentials (BDP) of steel in chloride solution at ambient
temperature (Ref 10)
Elements
C
Si
Cr
Mo
Ni
Nb
V
Ti
P

Shift in BDP to more positive

or negative potential values
(-)
(+)
(+)
(+) at ambient temperature
(-) at 0
C
(+)
(-)
(+)
(-)
(+) presumed for Cu-P-Cr
alloyed TMT rebar

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

higher level, and the driving force necessary for the transformation to martensite in low carbon steel is smaller. Consequently, the density of mobile dislocations present in low carbon
tempered martensite will be smaller (Ref 11). Manganese is a
substitutional solid solution strengthener, increases hardenability, and forms MnS inclusions. Elongated MnS inclusions are
detrimental particularly when they lie close to the surface.
Higher amount of manganese in alloy rebar could favor bainitic
transformation in the core affecting the ductility of rebar.
Copper has a benecial effect in increasing the corrosion
resistance of steel due to the formation of a very thin oxide lm
on the steel surface (Ref 12, 13). Phosphorus has been used in
alloy rebar in relatively higher amount (0.11 wt.%) similar to a
weathering steel (P0.08-0.15 wt.%). The solubility of phosphorus in a-iron at room temperature is low (Ref 14). In a
phosphorus bearing steel with 0.11 wt.% phosphorus, the atoms
of phosphorus are in substitutional solid solution of a-iron,
causing the strengthening effect of ferrite in the TMT rebar.
Phosphorus also increases the hardenability of steel. Phosphorus is generally perceived as an embrittling element in steel due
to its segregation tendency to grain boundaries. The segregation
of phosphorus lowers the fracture toughness of steel. In
structural steel, interstitial carbon diffuses to the ferrite grain
boundaries in preference to phosphorus since the Gibbs free
energy for grain boundary segregation of carbon in ferrite is
lower (-72 kJ/mol) than Gibbs free energy for grain boundary
segregation of phosphorus in ferrite (-49 kJ/mol), and the
grain boundary embrittlement tendency in phosphorus steel is
minimized (Ref 15). Though the highest segregation occurs at
550-600
C, special measures were taken to eliminate this by
control of rolling and in-line quenching parameters of TMT
rebar. Presence of phosphorus in steel increases its corrosion
resistance in coastal region (Ref 16) and is very effective when
added with small amount of copper (Table 6). It makes the
surface rust layer impervious, dense, and adherent compared to
the rust layer on C-Mn steel which is relatively, porous, loose,
and often ridden with ssures. It has been observed in
weathering steel that the rust layer has an amorphous structure
(Ref 17), with the presence of Cu, P, Ni, and Cr in it (Ref 12).
This layer is also non-porous and adherent.
Quantum mechanical calculations by Briant and Messmer
(Ref 18) have shown that phosphorus is more electronegative
with respect to iron and draws charge off the host metal on to
itself as shown schematically in Fig. 8. According to the
electronegativity scale of Pauling (Ref 19), chromium is more
electronegative with respect to iron, as a result of which
chromium atoms draw charge from iron (Fig. 8). The implication of this is that the availability of charge (electrons in 3d
orbital of iron) for anodic reaction is greatly reduced, and
corrosion is hindered.

As shown in Fig. 4, the Cu-P-Cr alloyed rebar was free of

pits after the removal from the salt spray chamber which could
be due to the densely adherent rust formed on the surface.
Copper, chromium, and possibly phosphorus have increased the
breakdown potential of the passive lm (Ref 10). This is
advantageous in the formation of a homogenous rust layer of
densely packed a-FeOOH (goethite), with alloying elements
(cations) in vacant sites (Ref 8) of the interstices of oxygen
frame work. The layer being poor conductor of electrons could
hinder the diffusion of chloride ions to steel substrate retarding
the corrosion. The b-FeOOH (akaganeite) and c-FeOOH
(lepidocrocite) have possibly alloying elements in vacant sites
stabilizing it, and preventing ingress of ions to steel substrate.
The rust layer of Cu-P-Cr alloyed rebar was also free from
cracks, and well adherent. In contrast, the rust formed on C-Mn
steel was composed of coarser particles (Ref 20) and was
ridden with ssures. Enrichment of alloying elements in the rust
is likely to scatter electrons and restrict the free ow of
electrons across the surface lm, diminishing the tendency of
rusting.
A minimum content of copper (about 0.20 wt.%) is desired
to obtain satisfactory corrosion resistance (Ref 17). Phosphorus
content of the alloy rebar was 0.11 wt.%. Below 0.08 wt.%
phosphorus, solid solution strengthening and corrosion retarding effect due to phosphorus are insignicant, and above 0.15
wt.% phosphorus, embrittlement may arise in medium carbon
steel depending upon the alloying elements present in the steel,
particularly chromium and manganese (Ref 18). Due to
electronegativity effect, phosphorus will draw charge from
chromium and manganese, and thereby the total charge on
phosphorus will increase. As a result, lesser charge is available

Fig. 8 Schematic charge transfer mechanism in the Cu-P-Cr alloyed

reinforcing bar

Table 6 Effect of alloying elements on the corrosion resistance of unalloyed steel in seawater (Ref 16)
Element
P
Cu
Cr
Al
Ni, Si, Mo, Co
C
Mn
S

Decreasing effect in corrosion rate

Remarks

Effective in seawater and splash water, effect is intensied by copper

Very effective in seawater, splash water zone, and in sea atmosphere
Very effective, effect is intensied by copper
Signicant inuence particularly in combination with copper
Not as effective in seawater as in aggressive atmosphere
Accelerates corrosion
Slight corrosion acceleration
No adverse inuence in copper alloyed steel

Signicant inuence

Low inuence
Adverse inuence

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Volume 18(8) November 20091107

to participate in the metal-metal bonds, and the bonding

becomes weak leading to embrittlement. Hence, chromium and
manganese are kept at low level in the presence of phosphorus.
Lower amount of manganese should also facilitate the availability of free interstitial carbon for displacing phosphorous
from ferrite grain boundaries for improved mechanical properties (Ref 15). The present Cu-P-Cr alloyed steel was found to
possess a good balance of strength, UTS/YS ratio, elongation,
and corrosion resistance.

5. Conclusions
The results of investigation of a Cu-P-Cr alloyed and a
C-Mn steel TMT rebar can be summarized as follows.
1. Both the rebars exhibited composite macro and microstructures comprising tempered martensitic rim followed
by an intermediate bainitic region. However, the core of
Cu-P-Cr alloyed rebar revealed mixed ferrite-pearlite
structure with some bainite in contrast to the predominantly ferrite-pearlite core of C-Mn rebar.
2. The tensile properties of both reinforcing steels conformed to ASTM A 706 specications. The UTS/YS
ratio of Cu-P-Cr alloyed rebar conformed to the specied
value (1.25) as per the standard.
3. The corrosion resistance index of Cu-P-Cr alloyed reinforcing steel was 1.7 with respect to C-Mn steel as determined by both salt fog and potentiodynamic polarization
tests. The rust formed on the Cu-P-Cr rebar was found to
be adherent and of multiple colors.
4. A schematic charge transfer mechanism has been proposed to explain the role of alloying elements like Cu,
Cr, and P on the formation of protective rust layer on
alloyed TMT rebar.
5. The Cu-P-Cr alloyed reinforcing steel exhibited a good
balance of strength, UTS/YS ratio, ductility, and corrosion resistance.

Acknowledgments
The authors thank the management of Steel Authority of India
Limited, Bhilai Steel Plant, and R & D Center for Iron and Steel,
Ranchi, India, for support. The authors also express their gratitude
to Mr. Dhritiman Panigrahi, undergraduate student of Mechanical
Engineering at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal,
Karnataka, India, for preparation of drawings, and Mr. Sabyasachi
Mahapatra, Lecturer in Physics, St. Pauls Cathedral Mission
College, Kolkata, India, for discussion.

1108Volume 18(8) November 2009

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