Professor: Stainless Rebar May Cost More, But Can Governments Really Afford to Do Without It?
05/06/2019 - Although building with stainless rebar carries higher upfront costs than with standard carbon rebar, governments would nevertheless do well to consider using it more in public infrastructure projects, especially for those in high-salt environments, University of Waterloo metallurgical engineering professor Carolyn Hansson said on Monday.
In presenting the Howe Memorial Lecture to open AISTech 2019, Hansson argued that a near-term focus on costs often precludes the use the stainless rebar in applications for which it is better suited than carbon rebar.
Hansson, whose research focus has long been on the durability of infrastructure materials, said that stainless rebar is more ideal than standard rebar in environments that are exposed to salts, such roads and bridges in marine environments or those exposed to roadway deicers.
In the long run, building with stainless is likely less expensive, she said, considering that the cost of corrosion in many countries is around 3% of annual gross domestic product.
“We have to think long term. We’ve got to get that mindset corrected,” said Hansson, who teaches in the university’s mechanical and mechatronics engineering and civil and environmental engineering departments.
Hansson pointed out in her presentation that the world’s longest ocean pier is a four-mile structure that was built with stainless rebar. It was constructed in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and it stands today. For comparison, a nearby pier that was built years after has long since crumbled, she said.
