Effect of Copper Tailing Content on Corrosion Resistance of Steel Reinforcement in a Salt Lake Environment

With the increasing proportions of copper tailings of concrete in the Qinghai Salt Lake area of China, there arises the problem of corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures. In this study, we determine the corrosion rate (C(R)), crack width, and corrosion potential of the steel reinforcement with copper tailing. This was achieved by conducting the constant-current accelerated corrosion test with different proportions of copper tailing in the brine environment of the Qinghai province. The results demonstrate that the corrosion potential (E(corr)) and the passivation area of the polarization curve decrease with the increase in the corrosion time, and the corrosion rate and crack width increase with the increase in the corrosion time. When the corrosion time is the same, the corrosion potential, crack width, and corrosion depth of the reinforcement decrease first and then increase with the increase in the copper tailing powder content. When the copper tailing powder content is 20%, the above parameters reach the minimum value. In the salt lake environment of Qinghai, China, the copper tailing powder content is recommended to be 20%.