Use of electrodeposition for repair of concrete with shrinkage cracks

The electrodeposition method for repair of cracked reinforced concrete is p resented here. Electrodeposition means precipitation of material on the sur face of an electrode by electrolysis. The ultimate purpose of this study is to apply this technique to land-based reinforced concrete structures. Inve stigations on mortar specimens with embedded steel were conducted. After cr acking the specimens with a specified load, they were immersed in several t ypes of solutions. Then a constant current between the embedded steel in mo rtar and an electrode in the Solution was applied. The deposition pattern o n the surface, the crack closure development, and surface coating due to th e precipitation of electrodeposits were checked and evaluated. In order to assess the effectiveness of this method to improve the mortar surface, wate r permeability, pore size distribution, and adhesion strength were measured . The results indicate that electrodeposits formed on the mortar surface ar e able to close the crack and coat the mortar surface. In addition, the inv estigations show that the deposition product can improve the microstructure of the mortar surface.