Sacrificial anodes are widely used for cathodic protection of steel structures in the submerged zone of seawater environments. This method is effective for preventing corrosion of steel in a submerged zone, but no report has been published on its effectiveness in the tidal zone. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sacrificial anode cathodic protection on the corrosion of steel structures in a tidal zone. Our field test site was a pier 427 m long extending perpendicular to the shoreline into the sea of Kashima-nada in Japan. This pier is constructed of 47 steel pipe piles. A sacrificial anode was welded to the steel pipe pile. A long-term field test of 21 years has been carried out at this research facility. The thickness of the steel pipe piles in the tidal zone was measured using an ultrasonic thickness gauge. The thickness has not decreased for 21 years. These results demonstrate that sacrificial anode cathodic protection is effective against corrosion of steel in the tidal zone of an open sea environment.
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