Detection and Mitigation of Stray-Current Corrosion of Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Structures - Item No. 21427

Abstract

This standard practice describes appropriate prevention and mitigation measures that can be applied to steel reinforced concrete (RC) and prestressed concrete (PC) structures that are, or can be, exposed to stray-currents from external sources in order to minimize or eliminate stray-current corrosion.

This standard practice addresses only steel corrosion related issues, and does not deal with issues of safety and hazards to people or structures associated with DC and AC voltages; these are covered in national standards and regulations, such as EN 50443 and EN 50122-1.3,4

Stray-current corrosion damage can appear after only a short time of exposure to stray currents and is highly dependent on a large number of variables,1 which should be determined during the planning or design stage of a structure.

It is important to make provisions for incorporation of protection and mitigation measures and/ or monitoring techniques at an early stage in the design (Sections 3, 4 and 6) and monitor the effect of these protection and mitigation measures regularly (Sections 5, 7 and 8)