Recep Özekinci, Chairman of the Board of Azra Galvaniz, the largest hot-dip galvanizing company of Izmir, which is located in the Izmir Aliağa industrial zone, has been operating since 2022 and is in the top three of Turkey, made statements on the occasion of the March 1-7 Earthquake Week after the disaster that took place on February 6 and affected 11 provinces and hit the whole country hard. Özekinci pointed out that the importance of steel construction emerged in the big earthquake.
In his statement, Recep Özekinci emphasized the importance of taking precautions, which we have painfully understood again with the disaster, and also mentioned the properties of the materials used in the construction of buildings. Özekinci, who is also a senior civil engineer; He stated that concrete is an extremely complex material, the use of various types of concrete in construction, the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of concrete, and its relationship with metals have become the subject of his ongoing work.
"Rebar damages concrete as it rusts"
Özekinci said, "The reinforcing steel bars (rebar) are embedded in concrete to provide strength. It is also critical to the integrity and performance of the structure throughout life of structure. Since concrete is a porous material, corrosive elements such as water, chloride ions, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases enter the concrete matrix and eventually reach the rebar. When the concentration of these corrosive elements exceeds the corrosion threshold of steel, rebar begins to rust. "As the rebar rusts, pressure builds up around the bar, which causes the concrete to crack, stain and eventually spill."
Özekinci, who continued his words by explaining the relationship of the sector he is in with the structures, said that he was into the molten zinc at 450-455 degrees.
"Galvanized coating increases the durability of rebar"
Özekinci; "Since the failure of rebar leads to the compromise or failure of structural capacity, it is crucial to protect against premature rebar failure. As in the atmosphere, galvanized rebar prolongs the life of steel in concrete. The corrosion mechanisms in concrete are quite different from atmospheric exposure, and one of the biggest factors is the concentration of chloride. Galvanized rebar can withstand chloride concentrations at least four to five times higher than black steel and slow down the corrosion rate by becoming passive at lower pH levels. In addition to the higher chloride tolerance, when zinc corrosion products are formed from galvanized rebar, they have less volume than iron oxide and actually move away from the rod. Particles of zinc with a smaller volume move away from the rod (galvanized coating) into the pores of the concrete matrix. This migration prevents the pressure formation and breakdown caused by iron oxide particles."
In his statement about the 1-7 March Earthquake Week, Özekinci said, "I would like to express my condolences to all our citizens who lost their lives in this disaster we have experienced. May it be a past for all our citizens affected by the earthquake. I hope that this disaster will not happen again."
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