Centre for Prevention and Control of Corrosion in Concrete Structures (PC3S)

1. Vision

Centre for Prevention and Control of Corrosion in Concrete Structures (PC3S) aspires to be a pioneer in raising awareness of menace of corrosion, developing feasible concepts, systems and techniques for corrosion prevention & control, and facilitating implementation; thus, complimenting to the Socio-Economic progress of the country through savings for exchequer.

2. Mission

1. To develop Products / Technology / Concepts for Prevention and Control of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete (RC) Structures, in particular, exposed to Marine environment.
2. To carryout collaborative research with eminent academic institutions / research laboratories / R&D of Industry around the globe in cutting edge technology on corrosion protection for knowledge enhancement / joint research publication / patenting etc.
3. To execute consultancy projects of Industry for validation of Products / Technology / Concepts for corrosion prevention and control.
4. To accomplish online / offline consultancy projects emphasizing on Repair and Rehabilitation of corrosion damaged RC structures.
5. To prepare durability related quality assurance documents for newly proposed RC structures. (BIS code of galvanized rebars)
6. To create awareness among common public / society / government statutory bodies etc. about the menace of corrosion related damages and the necessity of implementing corrosion protection strategies.

3. Our Team

a) Dr. M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, Director, PC3S

Dr. M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed completed his B.E., M.S., and Ph.D. in College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University. Currently working as Professor of Civil Engineering & Dean, School of Infrastructure at B.S. Abdur Rahman CRESCENT Institute of Science & Technology, Chennai. He served with Industry for more than 15 years and involved in implementation of corrosion control techniques in various major projects throughout India including Andaman & Nicobar Islands. He also involved in the development of new corrosion control products and has expertise in the rehabilitation of corrosion affected structures.

Dr. M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed successfully guided (i) Six Ph.D. dissertations; (ii) Two M.Tech. (By Research) dissertations; (iii) 80 M.Tech. projects, and (iv) 12 B.Tech. project batches in the areas viz.  Protective coatings to steel rebars, Corrosion Inhibitors, Microbial induced corrosion, Galvanic anode cathodic protection system, Polymer modified composites, Waterproofing of RC Structures, Durable Ferrocement panels, Recycled Concrete Aggregate etc. Currently guiding 2 Ph.D. Scholars. He has more than 30 journal publications, 21 International conferences / workshops and 30 conference proceedings to his credit in his research area.

Membership in Professional Organizations

• Senior Member – RILEM (The International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures)
• Affiliated Member  – American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Member  – Association of Materials Protection and Performance  (AMPP)
• Life Member  – Indian Concrete Institute (ICI)
• Fellow Member – Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India) ACCE(I)

Detailed Profile: https://crescent.education/dr-m-s-haji-sheik-mohammed-civil/

b) Dr. Roopa, V. Assistant Director, PC3S

Dr. Roopa, V. completed her Ph.D. in B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology in November 2024. She completed M.E in Construction Engineering and Management from Structural Engineering Division, College of Engineering, Guindy as a gold medallist, and B.E from Kongu Engineering College, Anna University as a state level rank holder. She is working as an Assistant Professor (Sr. Gr.) in the Department of Civil Engineering in B.S Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology since 2013 and also have an industry experience of 1.5 years.

She completed sponsored project titled ‘Corrosion protection and service life extension of reinforced concrete roofing system in existing buildings’ from DST under Teacher Associate Research Fellowship (TARE) scheme in association with IIT Madras. She so far successfully completed 20 M.Tech. projects in the Construction Engineering & Project Management discipline.

Her area of research interest includes

• Service Life Extension of existing RC roofing Systems
• Cathodic Protection of RC structures
• Galvanised Steel Rebar
• Repair and Rehabilitation of Structures
• Sustainability in Concrete Structures.

Detailed Profile: https://crescent.education/ms-v-roopa-civil/

4.  Areas of Research Interest

• Protective coatings (passivating / barrier / metallic type) for corrosion prevention in steel reinforcement rods used in newly constructed Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures
• Corrosion Inhibitors for service life extension of newly constructed RC structures
• Galvanized steel rebars for enhanced corrosion resistance in RC structures
• Performance of combined corrosion prevention systems (protective coating + corrosion inhibitor) for enhanced service life extension of RC structures.
• Corrosion prevention systems / techniques / strategies for marine structures exposed to Microbial Induced Corrosion (MIC)
• Evaluation of Sacrificial anode cathodic protection (SACP) systems for reinforced concrete applications.
• Service life extension of distressed Prestressed Concrete Elements using Cathodic Protection system.
• Corrosion protection and service life extension of reinforced concrete roofing system in existing buildings.
• Feasible and affordable corrosion control systems for enhancing the service life of residential buildings.
• Concrete coatings for controlling carbonation and chloride induced corrosion.
• Waterproofing of concrete structures for enhanced durability of RC structures

5. Salient Research Facilities

Accelerated corrosion testing facility for coated rebars: IS 13620

Chemical Resistance test for coated rebars: IS 13620

Facility to evaluate adhesion of coating to steel rebars: IS 13620

Evaluation of bond strength of steel rebars with concrete: BIS 13620 & BIS 1786  (Allied Facility)

Sophisticated 8 Channel NI Data Acquisition System with LVDT (Allied Facility)

• Potentiostat (Make: Autolab) for Corrosion Rate Measurement
• Carbonation Chamber
• pH / Conductivity Meter (for chloride analysis) – OAKTON PC 2700 – Coleparmer
• High impedance 5 digits digital multimeter (Make: Keysight)
• Sophisticated DC power supply regulator (Make: Keysight)
• Digital 4 digits electronic weighing machine (Make: Shimadzu)
• Accelerated corrosion testing facility for reinforced cement mortar / concrete specimens
• Digital pH meter
• Concrete core cutting machine
• Facilities to conduct corrosion test on steel wires at stressed conditions
• Electrodes, laboratory equipment’s, etc.

EIS studies in Progress (Potentiostat)

5 Digits Digital Multimeter

Facility for Corrosion Studies on Stressed Prestressing Strands

Large Scale Corrosion Testing Facility

View of PC3S Laboratory

Visit of Dr. Ningshen, Head, Corrosion Division, IGCAR

 6. Ongoing Research / Consultancy Activities

A. Evaluation of Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection (SACP) Systems for Reinforced Concrete Applications

• Sponsoring Industry : M/s. Vector Corrosion Technologies, Canada / M/s. Radhe Structor Repair, Ahemedabad / M/s. Trade Winds, Chennai
• Project Reference Number : Order Dated 10.05.2018
• Research Grant : Rs. 29,80,680
• Amount for CRESCENT : 9,91,200
• Duration : June 2018 – June 2025

Radhakrishna G. Pillai (PI)
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

M. S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (Co-PI)
Department of Civil Engineering
B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology , Chennai

Dr. Dhanya B S (Co-PI)
Department of Civil Engineering
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kottayam, Kerala

B. Influence of Chemical and Mineral Admixtures on the Performance of Galvanized Steel Rebars

Sponsoring Agency : Collaborative Research Project under Mutual Funding Scheme
Project Reference Number : MoA dated September 2022

• Research Grant : Rs. 10,59,000
• Duration : September 2022 – June 2024

Dr. M. S. Haji Sheik Mohammed
Dr. Roopa, V
Department of Civil Engineering
B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai

Dr. Sakhiah Abul Kudus
Department of Civil Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Mara, (UiTM MARA), Malaysia

7. Completed Research / Consultancy Activities

A. Structural Behaviour of Corroding Prestressed Concrete (PSC) Systems and Extension of Service Life Using Cathodic Protection

• Sponsoring Agency : DST – SERB
• Project Reference Number : EMR/2017/004687 Dt. 21.08.2018
• Research Grant : Rs. 39,60,000
• Duration : September 2018 – September 2023

Amlan K. Sengupta (P.I.) &
Radhakrishna G. Pillai (Co – PI)
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

M. S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (Co-PI)
Department of Civil Engineering
B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai

Progress Reports and Final Report submitted to DST

B. Corrosion Protection and Service Life Extension of Reinforced Concrete Roofing System in Existing Buildings

• Sponsoring Agency : DST – SERB
• Project Reference Number : TAR/2018/001322 Dt. 22.02.2019
• Research Grant : Rs. 18,30,000
• Duration : November 2018 – June 2023

Roopa V. (PI)
M. S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (Supervisor)
Department of Civil Engineering
B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai

Radhakrishna G. Pillai (Co-PI)
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

Progress Reports and Final Report submitted to DST

8. Outcomes

1.Ph.D. Completed

The PC3S facilities were utilized for conducting relevant experiments of the above thesis.

2. M.Tech. Projects Completed

3. B.Tech. Projects Completed

9. Events Organized

• Two Day Workshop on ‘Electrochemical Corrosion Techniques: Theory and Hands on Training’ in collaboration with AMPP (India Section SZ) and NIGIS South Zone during 8-9, March 2024.
  Click here for Report

• Two Day Workshop on ‘Electrochemical Corrosion Techniques: Theory and Hands on Training’ in collaboration with AMPP (India Section) and NIGIS South Zone during 17-18, March 2023.
  Click here for Report

10. Knowledge Dissemiantion

Dr. M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, Director, PC3S

• Presented a technical talk on “Durable Construction: Need for Corrosion Protection & Waterproofing” in the technical meet organized by Builders Association of India (Tambaram Centre) on 22^nd May 2024.
• Delivered a technical talk on “Electrochemical Behaviour of Coated Rebars in Concrete” in the 3^rd Two-day workshop on “Electrochemical Corrosion Techniques: Theory and Hands-on Training” jointly organized by B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, AMPP India Chapter and NIIS-SZ on 8^th & 9^th March 2024.
• Delivered a technical lecture on ‘Corrosion Prevention / Control Methods for Service Life Extension of RC Structures’ in the Six Day Workshop on Emerging Trends and Applications in Civil Engineering (ETACE 2024) organized by SRM Institute of Science and Technology on 31^st January 2024.
• Presented a guest lecture on “Durability of Reinforced Concrete Structures” organized by Crescent School of Architecture, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology on 25^th August 2023.
• Delivered a technical talk on “Cathodic Protection: Galvanization vs Sacrificial Anodes” in the 2^nd Two-day workshop on “Electrochemical Corrosion Techniques: Theory and Hands-on Training” jointly organized by B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, AMPP India Chapter and NIGIS-SZ on 17^th & 18^th March 2023.
• Delivered a technical talk on ‘Types of Galvanized Rebars and their Performance’ in the 6^th one day workshop on “Corrosion Control in Concrete Structures (C3S)” jointly organized by IIT Madras, NIGIS SZ and AMPP India as a part of TLC2 programme (under SPARC) on 30^th January 2023 at IIT Madras.
• Delivered a technical lecture on ‘Galvanized Steel Rebars for Sustainable and Durable Reinforced Concrete Construction’ in the Six Day Workshop on Emerging Trends and Applications in Civil Engineering organized by SRM Institute of Science and Technology on 05^th January 2023.
• Delivered a keynote address on ‘Durable RC Construction: Need for Corrosion Protection and Waterproofing’ in the technical meet organized by Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India), Fosroc Chemicals (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Tradewinds at J.P. Hotel Chennai on 14^th October 2022.
• Acted as resource person and delivered a technical talk on ‘Concrete Design, Properties, Deterioration Mechanisms and Prevention Methods’ in a 3-day workshop on Concrete Designing, Performance Evaluation and Characterization Techniques, organized by Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science & Technology, 15-17, September 2022.
• Presented a technical webinar on ‘Sustainable and Durable Reinforced Concrete Structures’ organized by Paavai Engineering College, Namakkal (August 2022)
• Delivered a technical talk on ‘Galvanized Steel Rebars for Durable Reinforced Concrete” in the International Conference on Galvanizing & Zinc Spraying – New Technologies, Emerging Markets and Circular Economy, organized by India Lead Zinc Development Association (ILZDA), Nagpur, 25-27 July 2022.
• Delivered a technical talk on “Galvanized Steel Rebars for Durable and Sustainable Reinforced Concrete” in the IEI Technical Webinar on ‘Applications of Sustainable Concrete in Modern Constructions’ organized by The Institution of Engineers (India) – Kancheepuram Local Centre in association with B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai (July 2022)
• Delivered a technical talk on “Durable Construction: Need for Corrosion Protection and Waterproofing” to the site engineers and project managers of M/s. DAC Promoters, Chennai (October 2021)
• Delivered a webinar talk in the topic “Avoidable Errors in Building Construction: Some Thoughts” organized by Flat Promoters Association, Chennai South (May 2021)
• Presented a lecture on “Corrosion Prevention and Protection Strategies for Service Life Extension of RC Structures” in the AICTE sponsored STTP on “Life Cycle Assessment and Structural Health Monitoring of Structures” organized by Department of Civil Engineering, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Chennai. (November 2020)
• Presented a lecture on “Prevention and Control of Corrosion in RC Structures: Preparedness to avoid major Disasters” in the AICTE sponsored STTP on “Disaster Mitigation: A Shift from Disaster Management towards Disaster Preparedness” organized by Department of Civil Engineering, School of Infrastructure, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology, Chennai. (November 2020)
• Delivered a lecture in the UJAY Lecture series (No.6) on “Corrosion Control in Reinforced Concrete Structures” organized by Department of Civil Engineering, UNIVERSITAS ATMA JAYA YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia. (October 2020)
• Presented a webinar on “Corrosion Control of Steel Reinforcement Rods in Concrete” organized by Builders Association of India : Southern Centre. (August 2020)
• Delivered a lecture in the webinar series organized by Kerala Highways Research Institute (KHRI) in the topic “Galvanized Steel Rebars for Enhanced Corrosion Resistance in RC Structures” (July 2020)
• Delivered a lecture on “Performance of Galvanized Rebars for Use in Concrete Construction” in the webinar series on Construction Materials organized by iSTEEL XLS, Chennai. (June 2020)
• Presented a lecture on “Corrosion Prevention in Reinforced Concrete Structures : An Overview” in the webinar series on “Durability of Reinforced Concrete Structures” jointly organized by Department of Civil Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology and HiTech Concrete Solutions Chennai Pvt. Ltd. (May 2020)
• Delivered a technical lecture on “Performance Evaluation of Galvanized Rebars used in Concrete: Experimental Results and Thoughts” in the National Seminar on Galvanized Rebars in RCC – Life Cycle Advantages organized by India Lead Zinc Development Association (ILZDA) and IIT Madras. (January 2020)

11. Recent Publications

• Hemalatha, S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, Roopa, V., Irfan Navbshan and Sakhiah Abdul Kudus (2024), “Influence of Chloride Acceleration Methods on the Electrochemical Behaviour of Superplasticiser Admixed Reinforced Cementitious Systems”, Asian Journal of Civil Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42107-024-01182-x
• MD Muheeb Ahmed, Mohd Umar and S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (2024), ‘Investigation on Synergistic Effect of Mineral Admixtures and Styrene Acrylic Ester-based Polymer on Mechanical and Transport Properties of Repair Composites’, The Indian Concrete Journal, Vol.98, No.2, pp.6-16.
• Roopa, V, S. Haji Sheik Mohammed and Radhakrishna G Pillai (2024), “Performance of Galvanic Anodes in Corrosion Protection of RC Slabs exposed to Chloride Environment: Experimental and Numerical Simulation”, International Conference on Concrete under Severe Conditions – Environment and Loading (CONSEC24), Paper No. 487, pp. 1-4, Chennai.
• S. Anuman Surya, M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, MD Muheeb Ahamed, and Mohd Umar (2024), “Performance of inhibitor admixed self-flowing concrete for use in RC jacketing”, International Conference on Concrete under Severe Conditions – Environment and Loading (CONSEC24), Paper No. 490, pp. 1-8, Chennai.
• Ahmed Abdul Ahad, Md. Muheeb Ahmed, S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, and Mohd Umar (2023), ‘Investigation on Influence of Corrosion and Protective Coating on Steel Rebars on Flexural Performance of RC Beams’, Asian Journal of Civil Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42107-023-00899-5.
• Roopa, R.B. Dharma, M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, and Irfan Navabshan (2023), ‘Durability and Microstructure Studies of Styrene Acrylate Co-polymer Modified Ready-mix Concrete, Journal of Structural Engineering, JoSE, Vol. 49, No.5, pp. 358 – 372.
• Mohd Umar, MD Najeebul Haque and S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (2022), ‘Chemical Admixtures in Cement Mortar : Long-Term Performance Evaluation Against Biogenic Acid Attack’, Journal of Structural Engineering, JoSE, Vol. 49, No.2, pp. 162-177.
• Shafeer Ahamed, M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, R. Sridhar and V. Roopa (2022), ‘Study on Strength, Durability and Transport Properties of Cementititous Systems Admixed with Sodium Nitrite based Corrosion Inhibitor’, Journal of Structural Engineering, JoSE. Vol. 48, No.6, pp. 446 – 457.
• Haji Sheik Mohammed, M.S., Roopa, V. (2022), Cement Polymer Anticorrosive Coating on Steel Rebars: A Feasible Solution for Corrosion Prevention in Small Scale Projects. In: Kamachi Mudali, U., Subba Rao, T., Ningshen, S., G. Pillai, R., P. George, R., Sridhar, T.M. (eds) A Treatise on Corrosion Science, Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Metals Series, Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9302-1_16
• Md Muheeb Ahmed, Mohd Umar, Ahmed Abdul Ahad and S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (2021), “Optimisation of Mix Proportion for Repair Mortar Modified with Mineral and Chemical Admixtures” Journal of Structural Engineering (JoSE), Vol. 48, No.2, pp. 89-103.
• Shafeer Ahamed, J. Sherin Mariya, V. Roopa and M.S. Haji Sheik Mohammed (2021), “Corrosion Inhibiting Admixture for Corrosion Prevention in Small Scale Reinforced Concrete Structures”, The Indian Concrete Journal, Vol. 95, No.4, pp. 38 – 51.
• S. Haji Sheik Mohammed and V. Roopa (2020), “Performance of Galvanized Steel Rebars in Concrete”, The Indian Concrete Journal, Vol. 94, No.11, pp. 81-91.
• Shoib Bashir Wani, Junaid Ahmed, S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, Tahir Hussain Muntazari and Nusrat Rafique (2020), “Influence of Nano-Modification on Mechanical and Durability Properties of Cement Polymer Anticorrosive Coating”, Challenge Journal of Concrete Research Letters, Vol. 11, No.4, pp. 92-104.
• Umar Mohd, Fathima Naheetha, S. Haji Sheik Mohammed and S. Hemalatha (2019), “Modified Cement Composites for Protection against Microbial Induced Concrete Corrosion of Marine Structures”, Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, Vol.20, pp.1-7. Cite Score: 2.26
• Manu Harilal, V.R. Rathish, B. Anandkumar, R.P. George, S. Haji Sheik Mohammed, John Philip and G. Amarendra (2019), “High Performance Green Concrete (HPGC) with Improved Strength and Chloride Ion Penetration Resistance by Synergistic action of Fly ash, Nanoparticles and Corrosion Inhibitor”, Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 198, pp. 299-312. (ISSN No.0950-0618) I.F.: 7.693