4. Conclusion
Through indoor accelerated corrosion test and marine field studies of HRB400 steel, 1.5Cr steel, and 5Cr steel, the conclusions we draw are summarized as follows: (1) HRB400 steel exhibits poor corrosion resistance; as the Cr content is increased, the corrosion rate is reduced; corrosion rate of 5Cr steel is the lowest and merely half that of the corrosion rate of HRB400. (2) The primary corrosion products of steels are a-FeOOH, g-FeOOH, and g-Fe2O3/Fe3O4; in 1.5Cr steel and 5Cr steel, protective a-FeOOH is the most dominant among the corrosion products, indicating that Cr promotes the formation of protective corrosion products. (3) After a 1-year field study in the splash zone in Zhanjiang, ordinary epoxy coatings and high-performance epoxy coatings are still intact without any obvious corroded zones; among the bare rebars, HRB400 and 1.5Cr steel present localized corrosion, whereas 5Cr steel does not have any corroded zone on its surface. Results of field study coincide with the predicted results, which prove that the utilization of corrosion resistant rebars can improve the durability of concrete structures.