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COMPARATIVE TIME-DEPENDENT STUDY OF CORROSION IN REINFORCED CONCRETE AND TUBULAR STEEL PILES UNDER CATHODIC PROTECTION

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ABSTRACT

COMPARATIVE TIME-DEPENDENT STUDY OF CORROSION IN REINFORCED CONCRETE AND TUBULAR STEEL PILES UNDER CATHODIC PROTECTION

Journal: Materials & Corrosion Engineering Management (MACEM)

Author: Yannick Muvunyi, Kabir Sadeghi

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

DOI: 10.26480/macem.01.2025.01.06

This study presents a long-term comparative assessment of corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC) piles and tubular steel piles exposed to seawater, protected with zinc sacrificial anodes, over a 30-year service life. Since marine foundations are prone to severe corrosion, selecting the most durable pile type is critical for structural safety and serviceability. The research focused on comparing the overall total current requirements of RC and steel piles under identical cathodic protection (CP) conditions to evaluate their relative durability. Using COMSOL Multiphysics 6.3, time-dependent simulations were carried out to capture electrochemical interactions and environmental variations. Results showed that RC piles maintained effective CP throughout the 30 years, whereas tubular steel piles eventually lost adequate protection despite identical anode configurations. These outcomes highlight the distinct corrosion resistance of the two materials and suggest that RC piles deliver better long-term performance under zinc anode CP systems. The findings offer practical insights for engineers designing marine structures, emphasizing strategies to improve resilience and reduce maintenance costs in aggressive coastal environments.
Pages 01-06
Year 2025
Issue 1
Volume 6