POTENTIAL SURVEY TECHNIQUE FOR PRESTRESSED CONCRETE PIPES

Prestressed concrete pipe sections were corroded by the action of salt and the application of an anodic current in well-defined areas. A pot ential survey of the pipes was performed before they were buried on th e grounds of the National Research Council of Canada urban infrastruct ure research site. Aff er they were buried, pipe potentials were recor ded using a reference electrode displaced at regular intervals on the ground surface directly above the pipe. Potentials were also measured using reference electrodes permanently embedded in the ground near the ripe. On the basis of the test data, a pipe potential survey from the surface of the ground could not be used to locate specific areas dama ged by corrosion.