4/29/2017 CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles

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CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles
Home(https://theconstructor.org) / GeotechnicalEngineering(https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/) / FoundationEngineering
(https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/foundations/) / CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles

Corrosionprotectionofunderwaterpilesisessentialincaseofsteelpiles.Whensteelpilesareusedin
seawater,itreactschemicallytoformanodesandcathodesresultingintheflowofelectricity,whichresultsin
thecorrosionofanodicareasofpiles.

Chemicallyactivesurfaceareasofunderwatersteelpilesactasanodesandlesschemicallyactivesurfacesacts
ascathodes.

WhatisCorrosionofPiles?
Corrosioncanbedefinedasthedeteriorationofthemetalduetoreactionwithwaterandatmosphericairor
theoxidationofmetalscatalyzedbychemicalreactionwithenvironment

WhatareUnderwaterPiles?
Pilesarethesubstructurememberofthebuildingusedtotransfertheloadsfromthesuperstructuretothe
ground.

Whenastructureisbuiltinthewater,thepilesaretodriveninthewatertounderwaterstrata.Asthepilesare
alwaysinsidethewater,theyaresubjectedtocorrosion.Toeliminatethiscorrosionproblemisveryhard,but
thecorrosioncanbecontrolledbyusingcorrosionprotectionmeasures.

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4/29/2017 CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles

ZonesofCorrosionofUnderwaterSteelPiles
Thepileswhicharedrivenintothewaterstrataundergocorrosioninseveralzonesduetothedifferentcontact
withwater.Itisconvenienttodividetheseareasintofourzones,eachhavingacharacteristiccorrosionrateas
showninfigurebelow.

CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles
ProtectiveCoatingsforUnderwaterPiles

Thecorrosioninpilesformwhenthesurfaceofpilecomesincontactwithwater.Toprotectthepilesfrom
comingincontactwithwater,thepileistobecoatedwithnonporousmaterialwhichisanticorrosive.

Thedifferenttypesofcoatingsusedforunderwaterpilesare:

InorganicZincSilicatesPrimers

Thesteelstructurewhichisbelowtheplashzoneisalwaysimmersedinwaterarecommonlynotcoatedwith
anycathodicprotectivelayersforobviousreasons.

Therearenumeroustypesofanticorrosivepigmentedprimersinwhichinorganiczincsilicateisthebest.The
bestpartofthisisthatitarrestsrustcreeporundercuttingofthecoatingsurroundingthedamagesareaand
confinesthecorrosiontothepointofdamage.

HighBuildEpoxyCoatings

Theseepoxycoatingaremoreabrasionandchemicalresistantthatthatofprimersandcoats.Itisbecause
theynotonlyprotectthemetalbutthezincprimersalsofromdetrimentalfactors.

Italsohasadrawbackthatispoorresistanttosunlightandchalk.Whenitcomesincontactwiththesefactors,
theyfadequicklywhichleadstoerosionofcoatingwhichinturnreducesthebarrierprotectionofthesystem.

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4/29/2017 CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles

AliphaticPolyurethaneTopcoats

Thepolyurethaneisactuallynotananticorrosionorcorrosionbarrier,butisprovidesoptimumresistanceto
UVandhighdegreeofflexibilityandchemicalresistance.

Theyalsohelpinretainingthecosmeticglowandcolorofthematerial.Theyprovidehighlevelofprotectionto
thecoatingsystem.

ZincRichEpoxyPrimers

InisthemixtureofbothInorganicZincSilicatesPrimerandHighBuildEpoxyCoating.Itprovidesahighlevel
ofserviceandmoretolerantambientweatherconditions.Itisalsomosteffectiveinmaintainingthedamaged
areaandbreakdownofcoatingsystem.

NonSkidDeckCoatings

Theyareappliedinveryhighfilmbuildsandnormallywithoutazincrichprimer.Coatingsspecificallydesigned
withantislippropertiesnormallyincorporateverycourseaggregatesforanexaggeratedprofile.

Theyareappliedinveryhighfilmbuildsandnormallywithoutazincrichprimer.Whenprimersarerequired
theyareusuallyepoxytypes.

CathodicProtectionofUnderwaterPiles

Cathodicprotectionisthecommonlyusedtechniquefortheovercomingthecorrosiononpiles.Cathodic
protectionistheprocessofusingelectrochemicalreactionstopreventsteelfromcorrosion.Itiscommonly
usedandacceptedbecauseitpreventsthecorrosiononsteelwhichisinwater.

Intheoryandpractice,theimplementationofacathodicprotectionsystemisquitesimple.Assumingyou
alreadyhavecorrodingsteelinseawater,allyouneedisananode,apowersupply,andengineeringtalent.A
protectivecircuitisaccomplishedbetweentheanode,steel(cathode),powersupplyandelectrolyte
(seawater).

Thisisaverysimpleprocessforinstallingacathodicprotectionforunderwaterpiles.Whenthesteelis
corroded,ananodewithpowersupplyisinsertedintothewaternearthesteel.Theinsertionordeliveryof
anodeismadeinmanywaysdependinguponthevariousfactors.Thetypesofanodedeliveryare,

PileMountedAnode

Thistypeofanodedeliverymethodisusedwhenanodecanbeattachedtothecathodeorpilesdirectly.Pile
mountedanodearedesignedforefficientlyforthecurrentdistributioninandaroundthepilingwherethe
complexityisfacedinplacingtheanodetothepileinremoteplaces.

TheFlatBackPileMountedAnodewasdesignedspecificallyforHPiles,andcanalsobeconfiguredfor
installationonsheetpiling.

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4/29/2017 CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles

PileMountedAnode

RetractableMount

Thistypeofanodedeliverysystemisusedwhentheanodeistobereplacedwithnewoneperiodically.When
thecathodicprotectionisneededonlytimetotimebutnotcontinuously,thistypeofsystemisusedsothat
theanodecanbereplacedeasily.

Retractablemount

SledAnode

Sledanodescanbedesignedforoperationineitherseawaterorburiedinthemud.Anodesmountedonthe
seabedtypicallyaffordthebestspreadofprotectiononamarinestructure.

Byadjustingtheheightoftheconcretesled,themeshanodesledcanalsobedesignedforoperationoutofthe
mud.ThePostTensionSledwasdevelopedtoinsureanodeoperationoutofthemudwhenrestinginsiltyand
softseabeds.

Theadvantageofthistypeofsledisitslowprofile,therebylimitingthepotentialfor,damagebyanchors
fishingnets,etc.

SledAnode

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4/29/2017 CorrosionProtectionMethodsforUnderwaterPiles

ApplicationofFRPCompositesforCorrosionProtectionofUnderwaterPiles

TheuseofFRPissimply,thatitismixedwiththewetconcrete,whichmakesiteconomicaltoconductrepairs
onsubstructureparts.

Normallytherepairofthispartsrequiretheenlargementtoaccommodatenewties.ButwhenFRPareused
thecompletelycorrodedpartoftheelementiscarefullyremovedandthisFRPinducedconcreteisapplied,
whichprovidesthelosttensilecapacityandalsoprovidesthelateralsupporttothesteel.

AstheFRPisappliedwithconcrete,spreadingofcorrosiontootherpilescanbeprotectedandatthesame
timeitprotectionfromUVcoatingonthewrapoftherightcolor.TheaestheticsofFRPrepairisoneofits
unheraldedbenefits.

FRPWrappingforCorrodedBridgePiles

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