Artificial rebar corrosion damage monitoring in reinforced concrete slab structures using the electromagnetic wave technique

This research establishes a quantitative framework for assessing hidden rebar corrosion in reinforced concrete using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Accelerated corrosion (0–60% damage) was induced in rebars at 70–160 mm depths on 200 mm reinforced concrete slab structure. Results demonstrate a nonlinear increase in GPR signal attenuation (α = log₁₀(A₀/Aₙ)) with corrosion severity, validated up to 0.3979 dB for 60% damage. Signal amplitude decreased ~35% with depth. The method enables precise, depth-resolved corrosion quantification, addressing critical infrastructure monitoring needs. Future work should integrate half-cell potential measurements for broader validation.