Before revision: To properly protect the steel the concrete needs to cover the steel by a minimum thickness, not have large cracks and not have it’s chemistry altered by environmental factors like chloride attack from deicing salts, carbonation, etc.. ACI and PCI (American Concrete Institute, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute) codes specify minimum cover thicknesses depending on the application of the structure.
After revision: more thanTo properly protect the steel the concrete needs to cover the steel by a minimum thickness, not have large cracks and not have it’s chemistry altered by environmental factors like chloride attack from deicing salts, carbonation, etc.. ACI and PCI (American Concrete Institute, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute) codes specify minimum cover thicknesses depending on the application of the structure.