The present paper tries to contribute to quantifying
the relationship between the amount of corrosion and
cover cracking. The variables studied were: cover/diameter (c/o), proportions of cement, w/c, cast position of the
bar, transverse reinforcement and corrosion rate. The
corrosion is accelerated by applying constant currents
causing the rebar to act as an anode. The results indicate
that the cracking process develops in two steps: generation and propagation. Radius losses of about 15-50 btm
are necessary to generate the first visible crack (< 0.1 mm
width). The propagation follows a behaviour of the type:
w (crack width in mm) = a + bx (radius loss in gm).