Thermal sprayed titanium anode for cathodic protection of reinforced concrete bridges

Stable operation of cobalt catalyzed thermal sprayed titanium anodes for cathodic protection (CP) of bridge reinforcing steel was maintained in accelerated tests for a period equivalent to 23 years service at Oregon Department of Transportation (Oregon DOT) bridge CP conditions with no evidence that operation would degrade with further aging. The cobalt catalyst dispersed into the concrete near the anodeconcrete interface with electrochemical aging to produce a more diffuse anode reaction zone. The titanium anode had a porous heterogeneous structure composed of α-titanium containing interstitial oxygen and nitrogen, and a fee phase thought to be Ti(O,N). Splat cooling rates were 10 to 150 K/s, and microstructures were produced by equilibrium processes at the splat solidification front. Nitrogen gas atomization during thermal spraying produced a coating with more uniform composition, less cracking, and lower resistivity than using air atomization.