Abstract
Cathodic protection of steel reinforced structures most always involves repairs to the concrete and sometimes the reinforcing steel. Repairs often include large volumes of concrete or grout placement that are susceptible to shrinkage cracking. Such cracking and subsequent delamination have the potential to interfere with the operation of the cathodic protection system and expose the reinforcement to the environment. This condition is significantly aggravated when the structure is located in a marine environment. This paper discusses the performance of polypropylene fibers added to the concrete mix to control shrinkage in mixes used to encapsulate cathodic protection anodes for steel reinforced concretes in marine environment.
The reported study includes laboratory and field evaluations of the physical characteristics as well as of its ability to allow the flow of the cathodic protection current from the externally placed anode to the reinforcement. The evaluation was conducted using impressed current and galvanic (sacrificial) systems.
