Cathodic protection of reinforced concrete bridges in the marine environment as an asset management tool

Brailsford, Steven (2013) Cathodic protection of reinforced concrete bridges in the marine environment as an asset management tool. [USQ Project]

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Abstract

Recent investigations into the RMS bridges stock has revealed a number of bridges are showing premature signs of corrosive deterioration. This poses problems for
future use and longevity due to problems such as reduced structural capacity as the reinforcement steel is being compromised.

Cathodic protection (CP) of bridges is seen as an important asset management tool for RMS and a number of bridges have been retrofitted with the technology. This project investigates a number of recent implementations by way of case studies. This will aid in the assessment of cathodic protection to determine if it is an effective and efficient tool and if it warrants the resources required for its implementation.

The project consists of a literature review of current cathodic protection theory and systems. It then considers a number of recent implementations as case studies. The
case studies consider factors such as bridge background, assessment methods, costs and issues of implementation and perceived benefits/problems to date. The level of
cathodic protection each system provides is considered.

The assessment of results from trials on three separate bridges suggests that the Galvanode DAS system is the best performing sacrificial cathodic protection alternative. Some trial sacrificial CP systems have produced less than satisfactory results which reinforces the need for such trials before roll out of larger scale implementations of the systems.

Future work will involve monitoring sites so that perceived benefits of systems can be assessed over longer periods. Other research can possibly be undertaken to monitor such phenomena such as hydrogen embrittlement of reinforcement steel due to CP. This is particularly true for any possible implementations on pre or posttensioned reinforcement tendons.


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Item Type: USQ Project
Item Status: Live Archive
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Civil Engineering and Surveying (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2021)
Supervisors: Banerjee,Sourish
Date Deposited: 27 Feb 2014 02:10
Last Modified: 27 Feb 2014 02:10
Uncontrolled Keywords: cathodic protection; rms bridges; marine environment; asset management
Fields of Research (2008): 09 Engineering > 0905 Civil Engineering > 090506 Structural Engineering
Fields of Research (2020): 40 ENGINEERING > 4005 Civil engineering > 400510 Structural engineering
URI: https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/24704

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