Effect of cathodic protection on bond strength between prestressing steel and concrete

A series of experiments was performed on prestressed concrete specimens for the purpose of studying the tendency of disbonding between the embedded steel and the concrete due to an impressed cathodic current. The procedure first involved impressing an anodic current until active potentials were recorded along the tendon length. Subsequently, cathodic polarization of the prestressed tendons was affected using a current density of 1 mA/cm^2. The strain variation of the concrete specimens was monitored during these two procedures using gages placed on the top or bottom surface. It was found that for a current density of 1 mA/cm^2 during the 30 day monitoring period the concrete relaxed by an amount equivalent to an 80 percent loss of bond between the tendons and concrete. The implications of this with regard to cathodic protection of prestressed concrete structures and components in actual service are discussed.