No. 20. El Hormigon estructural y el transcurso del tiempo - Proceedings Vol. 1 - 28-30 September 2005 - La Plata, Argentina PDF format

The effectiveness of cement grout as a corrosion protection system for post-tensioned concrete tendons has been under debate due to significant corrosion damage, several failures of individual tendons, and a few collapses of non-typical structures.

After a comprehensive research program developed at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory, long-term beam corrosion test series indicated negative durability effects associated with the use of mixed reinforcement, galvanized steel ducts, and typical galvanized duct splices. Cracks had a direct negative effect on specimen performance, and grout voids were found to be detrimental to the durability of both galvanized ducts and strands.

On the other hand, positive effects were observed with the use of high-performance concrete, high post-tensioning levels, and plastic ducts.