Corrosion inhibition of metal reinforcement present in a hardened concrete construction having one or more surfaces that are exposed to chloride intrusion

A method for the corrosion inhibition of metal reinforcements present in a hardened concrete construction having one or more surfaces that are exposed to chloride intrusion, wherein the method comprises the step of applying an aqueous solution on the one or more surfaces, the aqueous solution consisting of:

• (a) 90 to 99.8 wt % of an aqueous nitrate solution selected from an aqueous alkali metal nitrate solution, an aqueous alkaline earth metal nitrate solution, an aqueous zinc nitrate solution, an aqueous aluminium nitrate solution, an aqueous ammonium nitrate solution or a mixture thereof;
• (b) 0.1 to 5.0 wt % of a glycol ether organic solvent selected from ethylene substituted mono-ethyl glycol ether, ethylene-substituted mono-methyl glycol ether, ethylene- substituted mono-propyl glycol ether or ethylene-substituted mono-butyl glycol ether;
• and
• (c) 0.1 to 5.0 wt % of a penetration enhancing agent selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated linear alcohols, ethoxylated octyl-, nonyl-and dodecyl-phenols with a degree of ethoxylation ranging from 12 to 20, secondary alcohol ethoxylates, ethoxylated thiols, glycerol mono and diesters, acetylenic alcohols and diols and alkoxylated acetylenic alcohols and diols, N-(alkyloxycarbonyl) alanine, N-acyl sarcosinates, N-alkylated pyrrolidinones, alkyl esters of sulfosuccinic acid, N-octyl alanine, N-dodecyl alanine, N-hexadecyl alanine, N-octadecyl alanine, and mixtures thereof.