Combination electrode for electrochemical restoration of corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete and method of controlling same

Abstract

The invention relates to a combination electrode for the restoration of corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete and a method for controlling the same. The combination electrode according to the invention comprises a dimensionally stable electrode (1); a prefabricated, reusable electrolyte reservoir (2); a means for protecting against evaporation (3); a prefabricated, exchangeable, anionic ion exchanger element (4); a central fastener with anchor, anchor rod, and eccentric quick-clamping device (5); a reference electrode (6) on the anchor head; a wetting device (7); a power-switching device for anodic regulation (8); a measuring system for determining the condition on the ion exchanger element (9); as well as electrical connections for the reference cell. The dimensionally stable electrode (1), the means for protecting against evaporation (3), the electrolyte reservoir (2), and the ion exchanger element (4) are thereby connectable to each other in the form of a sandwich construction. The use of this combination electrode has the advantage of preventing the formation of active chlorine. In addition to this, the combination electrode can be used repeatedly and is suitable for individual restoration of various component structures due to the standardized individual size of 0.6×0.6 m. The method according to the invention includes sub-dividing the concrete surface to be restored into any number of grid areas of equal size; assembling composite electrodes on the grid areas; carrying out control measurements on each grid area; setting initial values; determining measurement, regulation, and abort criteria for each individual grid area; supplying direct current to the grid area while constantly monitoring the reference potential during the course of said restoration, the potential at the chloride sensor, and the switch-off slope, wherein the direct current supplied during the course of the restoration is regulated by pulse-width modulation so that it corresponds to the energy requirements of the grid area to be restored.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.