IanM wrote:



Yep, confirmed, stable in a sufficiently basic environment.
Of course, if you have voids or cracks next to the steel, eventually
chloride ions will get in there, the PH will drop, the reinforcement
rust and the structure will fail, but that's not a problem with steel in
a basic environment, its a problem maintaining a basic environment.

The devil is in the details.

We've a number of bridge problems, partial collapses, near failures on
many of the bridges and overpasses on the 401, (freeway connecting
Windsor to Montreal), seems the road salt was getting through the
concrete to the rebar. For ten years or so there has been an ongoing
project to replace the old bar, with new "green" rebar.

Cheers
Martin