Cathodic Protection As a Corrosion Control Method Applied to Steel Surfaces Submerged in Water Available to Purchase

The vast amount of fundamental work conducted in the field of corrosion control since W. R. Whitney (1) first postulated the electrochemical theory of corrosion in 1903 has provided the corrosion engineer a relatively clear conception of the “tools” with which he can prolong the life of steel structures against aggressive water environments. Metal wastage in waters containing dissolved oxygen and having a pH in excess of 4.5 usually is not uniform over the submerged surface, but instead is characterized by randomly located pits of various sizes and shapes, depending on environmental factors, with the adjoining areas showing very little or no attack. This local cell action type of attack results in the development of leaks in steel vessels confining water, or in the failure of structural steel members, even though most of the original métal is intact. The economic and functional problem of repair or replacement has...