A service life model of metal ties embedded in the mortar joints of brick veneer walls with applications to reinforced concrete

The issue regarding the corrosion of steel ties connecting brick veneer to a structural backing is well documented. In this paper, the predicted corrosion rate and resulting service life estimates, produced by a time-stepped service life model developed in Visual Basic for EXCEL, for metal ties embedded in mortar, are compared with the empirically determined corrosion rates and service lives of 16 zinc galvanized tie specimens taken from 13 buildings located in 6 different Canadian cities. This tie service life model, coined the “Tie Service Life Predictor”, correlates the external environment of the building to the tie life. As with most corrosion models for steel embedded in concrete (or mortar), the model is broken into two distinct phases: corrosion initiation using Fick’s law of diffusion and corrosion propagation. By considering the mortar surrounding the tie as the tie’s atmosphere, the Tie Service Life Predictor characterizes the microenvironment (atmospheric conditions) surrounding the tie from the macroenvironment conditions. Once the atmospheric conditions were established, the ISOCORRAG atmospheric corrosion model could be used to predict the corrosion rate of zinc galvanized steel ties embedded in the mortar joints of the exterior wythe of brick veneer wall systems. The methods used to create the Tie Service Life Predictor could also be applied to service life estimation of reinforcing steel in concrete structures such as bridge decks and parking structures.