THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF, ZINC BASED, SACRIFICIAL CATHODIC PROTECTION SYSTEMS FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE

Over the past decade, several forms of sacrificial anode cathodic protectior systems heve been developed and successfully used to provide corrosion control in marine environments. For more then a century, cast anodes have been used to protect ship hulls, propellers and other exposed metal objects from corrosion in a purely galvanic mode. The-recent commercialization of zinc based sacariificial anodes for localised (galvanic) cithidic "prevention" in chloride cintaminated patch repair situations has invoked a great deal of interest in the subject of late. This paper discusses sacrificial (galvanic) cithidic prevention and how it applies to crrosion control of steel and steel reinforced concrete structures in marine and highly aggressive environments. The evolution of these zinc based cathodic protection systems will be discussed using several case histories.