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This study investigated the effects of the addition of untreated sugarcane bagasse ash (UtSCBA) on the microstructural and mechanical properties of mortars. The SCBA was sieved for only five minutes through a No. 200 ASTM mesh, and fully characterized by chemical composition analysis, laser ray diffraction, the physical absorption of gas, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Mortar mixtures with 0, 10 and 20% UtSCBA as cement replacement and a constant 0.63 water/cementitious material ratio were prepared. Fresh properties of the mortars were obtained. The microstructural characteristics of the mortars at 1, 7, 28, 90 and 600 days were evaluated by SEM and XRD. The compressive strengths of the mortars at the same ages were then obtained. The results show that the addition of 10 and 20% UtSCBA caused a slight decrease in workability of the mortars but improved their microstructure, increasing the long-term compressive strength.

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One of the most common corrosion protection methods in reinforcing concrete bars is the application of fusion‐bonded epoxy coatings. Although considerable research has been carried out on the performance of epoxy‐coated bars (ECR), there are still many uncertainties about their performance in cracked concrete. In this experimental program, reinforcing steel bars with six types of epoxy coatings embedded in concrete slabs with a 0.4 mm wide preformed crack intersecting the reinforcing steel at right angles were tested. Results of corrosion potentials, corrosion current density, coating adhesion tests, chloride content, and visual examination after 68 months of exposure to a simulated marine environment are reported. Results revealed that under the studied conditions the ECR did not provide total protection of steel reinforcement in cracked concrete. Their use however, tended to reduce significantly the damage caused by the chloride‐induced corrosion when compared with the uncoated bars embedded in concrete with similar characteristics.