A Study on the Applicability of Cathodic Protection for the Outdoor Sculptures Corrosion

Abstract

In this study, we proposed the sacrificial anode cathodic protection method as a countermeasure to reduce the corrosion of the steel sculptures under outdoor conditions and proved the anticorrosive effect experimentally. To affix the Mg sacrificial anode and the steel plate specimen, an adhesive bonding strength test was conducted with three types of conductive adhesives. Hence, the suitability of the conductive epoxy adhesive was confirmed, and a C-clamp experiment was conducted to supplement the connection. In addition, by applying a sacrificial anode suitable for the soil where the artwork is installed, the field applicability was reviewed through an artificial determination of resistance to cyclic corrosion conditions test(salt fog/dry/humid) to prove the suitability of the cathodic protection method by sacrificial anode. Hence, corrosion monitoring is in progress by test-laying steel plate specimens in an outdoor sculpture park to identify natural deterioration. In the future, based on the results of the outdoor exposure test, we plan to determine the proper method of bonding the sacrificial anode and the steel sculpture, and the replacement period of the sacrificial anode.