Cathodic protection of Pelješac bridge reinforcement – in-depth analysis of the system

Abstract

Corrosion is one of the largest and most common causes of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures in the marine environment. Pelješac bridge is by now a largest reinforced concrete object that is subject to cathodic protection in Croatia. Cathodic protection has been chosen to control corrosion of both carbon steel and stainless steel rebars inside the concrete pile cap element for which, 20 CP units were deployed. Upon the completion of the installation a numerous tests have been conducted to answer many questions on how such massive system works. This paper presents design concepts, installation challenges, and finally deep analysis of the system gotten from the maintenance campaigns.