Research activities at Slovenian National

Building and Civil Engineering institute

(ZAG) in the sight of CRM Extreme

ABOUT ZAG:

• Public non-profit institute established in 1949

• Located in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

• 178 employees: 30 PhD, 22 MSc, 70 graduated

• 5 departments (Materials, Building Physics,

Construction, Road Infrastructure, Metrology

• Annual turnover: app. 8-9 mio €: − Fundamental and applied research – 40%

− Certification, inspection and technical approvals (AoC)

– 30%

− Studies, tests, inspections, expert opinions, monitoring

and analyses of structures, transport devices, traffic

infrastructure, environments – 30%

ZAG‘s RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:

• synthesis of new materials (organo-inorganic

composites, materials for restoration of the cultural

heritage, nano self-cleaning coating, etc.),

• secondary raw materials (industrial waste,

C&Dwaste),

• degradation processes (corrosion of metals,

degradation processes in stone, concrete and

ceramics, freezing, microbial deterioration, etc.),

• energy efficiency and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA),

• earthquake engineering (test methods and

analysis, techniques for restoration, numerical

modelling),

• development, maintenance and testing of the road

infrastructure.

ZAG‘s (SELECTED) GENERAL EQUIPMENT:

• Micro X-ray Computer Tomography

(microXCT400, Zeiss XRadia, USA, 2011)

• Metallographic / Confocal microscope

(AXIO Imager M2z, Carl Zeiss, 2009)

• Raman, FTIR, XRD spectroscopy

• SEM / EDS, FE-SEM microscope

• Etc.

ZAG‘s (SELECTED) METAL TESTING EQUIPMENT:

• Zwick Z2500Y universal testing machine (nominal max load capacity = 2500 kN)

• Metal hardness tester Brinell and Vickers - WPM

• Optical emission spectrometer (OES) for the analysis of metals SpectroMAXx

• Wet / Salt / Industrial chamber

• Potentiostats (Gamry, Autolab), Tribocorrosimeter (Tribotechnic), Autoclave

(Cormet)

• Etc.

STRESS CORROSION CRACKING (SCC)

ZAG – Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute | Laboratory for Metals, Corrosion and Anti-Corrosion Protection

CORROSION IN CONCRETE TRIBOCORROSION

www.zag.si/en/ Dr. Tadeja Kosec, Head of the Laboratory

tadeja.kosec@zag.si, +386 1 2804 547

KOVAČ, Jaka, ALAUX, Carole, MARROW, T. J., GOVEKAR, Edvard, LEGAT, Andraž. Correlations of electrochemical noise, acoustic emission and complementary monitoring techniques during intergranular stress-corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steel. Corrosion science, 2010, vol. 52, iss. 6, 2015-2025.

AISI 321 in diluted

sulfuric acid, T = 80°C,

static load

Autoclave tests - AISI 321 in PWR water, T = 300°C

ZAJEC, Bojan, BAJT LEBAN, Mirjam, LEGAT, Andraž. Detection and characterization of stress-corrosion cracking of stainless steel in simulated BWR environment [Nuclear Corrosion]. V: Eurocorr 2014. Pisa, Italy

Autoclave (Cormet, Finland)

• max. 300°C, max. 170 bar

• scratching device

• integrated tensile unit (max. 30kN)

• static conditions

protected exposed

* A. Česen, T. Kosec and A. Legat, Characterization of steel corrosion in mortar by various electrochemical, CorrSci, vol. 75, p. 47–57, 2013

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Stainless Steel Reinforcement

Corrosion Monitoring in Concrete

SERVICE LIFE

SERVICE LIFE

STAINLESS STEEL

Figure: Visual comparison of carbon and stainless steel reinforcement after 4.5 years of exposure in marine environment (dry zone).

GARTNER, Nina, KOSEC, Tadeja, LEGAT, Andraž. Monitoring of the long-term performance of stainless steel reinforcement in saline environments. BHM, ISSN 0005-8912, 2016, vol. 161, issue 1, pp. 44-49

Tribocorrosiometer

(pin on disc and

reciprocating)

• Tribo-

electrochemical

testing

• Electrochemical

noise equipment

• Electrochemical

testing

NiTinol dental wire –

working electrode for

studying wear

Coupled Multi-Electrode

Array (CMEA) –

enables spatio-temporal

measurements of anodic

and cathodic activities on

metals

SEM image

VISUAL image

CALC. STRAIN FIELD

MicroCT image