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Pile Corrosion Protection

Pile Corrosion Protection

Pile Corrosion Protection

(OP)
Hello everyone.

Since I'm not a corrosion protection guy, I wanted to run this past you folks.
I have a client who has an installation with a pile cap supported on 4 steel piles, which pass through a concrete slab and continue down to grade. This is an outdoor application and the small (6" or so) portions of pile sticking up above the slab and below the pile cap have corroded visibly over the years. See the attachment.

We've had a materials testing company check the thicknesses and the piles have plenty of thickness to resist the loads, however, my client is looking for a long term corrosion solution. The piles are often seen with water ponding around them and the original coating has long since warn off.

For the long term solution, I'm proposing:

-Cleaning the piles of rust entirely (should this be sand-blasted?)
-Applying 2 coats of coal tar epoxy to the piles.
-Providing a sloped concrete topping sloping upwards to the sides of the piles to prevent ponding in the future. I have used a product called Terrafuse which bonds chemically to the concrete in the past.

Any corrosion experts out there that can yay or nay my plan?

RE: Pile Corrosion Protection

No attachment.

RE: Pile Corrosion Protection

Not a corrosion expert, and, assume there are no environmental issues with cleaning. You can sandblast or hydroblast to remove existing corroded material. You might want to use a quality zinc rich epoxy or zinc rich primer to coat the top of the piles. The coating should extend for 3' or 4' below grade or within the active wetted profile.

You should avoid coal tar epoxies like the plague... this material is a known carcinogen.

Dik

RE: Pile Corrosion Protection

Agree with dik that coal tar epoxy is not the right material for this application. After sandblasting, I would look at a high solids epoxy mastic. Carboline's Carbomastic 15 comes to mind. It is very forgiving of mediocre surface preparation.

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