Invest in Prevention

With the economy in an uproar, it can be difficult to focus on investing in long term maintenance and prevention of infrastructure failure. And yet, those investments are crucial to America’s infrastructure and our ability to recover from recession. Prevention and mitigation of corrosion in bridges, pipelines, power plants, liquid natural gas storage facilities and ports saves millions of dollars in future repairs, but even more importantly, prevents major disasters that disrupt commerce—something America cannot afford.

We only have to look back at the tragic loss of the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota last year to see the disruption caused by the collapse and 12 month repair. (Corroded gusset plates were part of the reason for the failure.) The Minnesota Commercial Railway was blocked, along with numerous auto and truck routes. The Federal Aviation Administration restricted pilots in the vicinity for a period. Thirty five people lost their jobs when Aggregate Industries, a company that delivered construction materials by barge, cut production in the area. Many businesses, large and small, near the collapse site reported losses of 25% to 50% of their income. Ultimately, the state increased the fuel tax by $0.055 per gallon to fund Mn/DOT maintenance. The new bridge cost $234 million. The cost in loss of life was immeasurable.

And, we can learn from an incident across the ocean: on June 3, 2008, a natural gas pipeline exploded in Western Australia. Reports say the explosion cut that nation’s fuel supply by a third and drained between $2.4 billion and $4.5 billion from Australia’s economy. The investigating body, Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority, reported that the rupture occurred because of thinning of the pipe wall and corrosion of the external surface.

Proven technology exists to prevent these disasters. In the United States, cathodic protection is required on energy-carrying pipelines. Other structures, such as bridges, tunnels, power plants, piers and ports can also be protected from corrosion by involving certified corrosion engineers in planning new structures and maintaining existing structures. The cost of including the right people and the right technology in America’s infrastructure is minimal in comparison to the cost of corrosion, which is $276 billion or 3.1% of the GDP.

We’ve learned that we can’t put blinders on and hope the worst won’t happen. It’s time to be realistic and invest in our future.

William R. Schutt
President and CEO
MATCOR, Inc.
Doylestown PA
www.matcor.com

CP- A balcony's best friend

The Florida coast is a particularly harsh environment for concrete structures, combining heat, humidity and high concentrations of chloride. Concrete balconies in the region are especially susceptible to corrosion of reinforcing steel, requiring major repair and maintenance.

Condo owners recognize that repeating patch maintenance cycles are disruptive and increasingly expensive. However, property managers don't always implement methods for corrosion prevention out of ignorance or because of the cost.

But, applying cathodic protection (CP) can lengthen the lifecycle of the reinforcing steel and concrete, delaying the need for maintenance. CP is a viable long term solution to protect these vulnerable concrete structures, but applying CP to condominium balconies is not easy. The evolution of cathodic protection, as applied to concrete balconies in Florida, has been an evolutionary process. Many systems have been tried with varying degrees of technical and commercial success. In ture Darwinian fashion, some of the solutions took the path to extinction, others evolved and have flourished, and some technologies moved to other, more favorable applications.

Many structural engineers now recognize the benefits of cathodic protection (CP) to stop the corrosion process and how to apply the right system in a given environment. This long-term solution extends the life of these important concrete structures and protects residents who own condos with balconies.

I just hope condo owners and property managers do their due diligence to find out what available technologies will keep residents safe.


Bill

Reflecting on a project of a lifetime

When I pulled up to the world's third-largest usable space building, I knew I had to leave any fear of heights in the car.

This was in spring 2005, when I visited NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in Cape Canaveral, Fla. My task was to examine how cathodic protection (CP) would stop the roof degradation of a national architectural landmark.

It’s not often that we get the opportunity to work on one of the most recognized buildings in the country, if not the world. So we were thrilled when NASA chose our conductive coating system -- the MATCOR CPBD-III -- as a long-term solution against the concrete roof's cracking, delamination, and spalling.

At first glance, I wondered how I would make it to the top of the 525-foot structure. The answer: an external steel construction elevator along the side of the building.

But before I made the climb with a NASA escort, every item I had on me was carefully examined. This went beyond accounting for loose change in pockets. It meant such detail as taping the stone in my college ring so it wouldn’t dislodge and fall on NASA personnel or assets.

The NASA message was clear: Safety in the air and on the ground came first. That was our mission. We were there to protect NASA employees and visitors from leaks and debris falling from the roof.

Indeed, the VAB roof had been deteriorating for years, to the point where NASA had to install a steel sub-roof to catch the concrete chunks. NASA technical liaisons then looked to stop corrosion of the conventional, steel-reinforced concrete roof.

NASA awarded that portion of the project to Cathodic Protection Technology, a MATCOR licensee in Florida and key partner on the project. CPT President Jim Emory joined me to examine the 214,500 square-foot surface area.

The material scope and logistics of this project were one of the most extensive MATCOR has engineered. With all items heading up the same construction elevator that took me to the top, the installation required a high level of logistics and planning.

Special features included maintenance considerations, such as installation of remote monitoring units (RMUs), so system parameters and activity could be monitored anywhere.

We commissioned the final customized system in February 2006 with eight separate CP zones. We left Florida knowing that one of our national landmarks was fully protected, and feeling completely pumped up that we had been involved.