Cathodic protection needed? 1

[kingfisher85]

Hello,
I am designing reinforced concrete abutments for a small (40' span) steel bridge in an environment where the abutments will be intermittently inundated with brackish water. The design life of the bridge is less than 50 years. I am not sure to what degree I should incorporate Cathodic Protection devices (such as some sacrificial plating) into the design. We intend on using a 5 ksi mix with a low water-cement ratio. I found plenty of reference to the utility of these corrosion protection systems, but I have not found any design standards.

Are these systems used very often for small, low traffic bridges?Any insight would be much appreciated.
Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Ron]

Cathodic protection systems are not all that common. I would specify a dense concrete, control the quality through specification and inspection, and increase the cover.

A study done in the '80's by a German group on waterfront structures showed that achieving quality concrete and increasing the cover did more to mitigate rebar corrosion than any other procedure.

 

[kingfisher85]

Thanks for the helpful tip!