Influence of different ways of chloride contamination on the efficiency of cathodic protection applied on structural reinforced concrete elements

Cathodic protection is a method to protect reinforced concrete structures located in saline environments against corrosion effect produced by Cl− penetration. But there are significant differences among these aggressive environments. The aim of this article is to show how different ways of saline contamination can affect the efficiency of cathodic protection. For this research, a series of laboratory specimens representing structural elements were subjected to two versions of cathodic protection (cathodic protection strictly speaking, and cathodic prevention), while two different ways of saline contamination were applied (permanent immersion in a NaCl solution and periodic pouring of discrete amounts of a NaCl solution in atmospheric exposure). Depending on the saline environment, differences in the efficiency of cathodic protection were detected. Results can be useful to determine the specific features of the cathodic protection to be applied in each case, taking into account both the initial Cl− content of the structural element and the particular saline environment where it is located.