Cathodic Protection: A User's Perspective

This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of cathodic protection as a means of extending the life span of reinforced concrete bridge decks. The cost of cathodic protection is compared to the cost of other methods of rehabilitating such structures. Also included is a brief review and discussion of the data collected during the first year of operation of a cathodic protection installation on a reinforced concrete bridge deck with details on mix design of the coke breeze asphaltic concrete, results of resistivity, and voltage drop data taken through the coke breeze asphaltic concrete and the portland cement concrete, as well as actual corrosion criteria versus E/log i curves.