Tensile strength of carbon rovings impregnated with different materials under anodic polarization

Institute of Building Material Research, RWTH Aachen University, Schinkelstrasse 3, 52062 Aachen, Germany

Abstract

Carbon textiles are used more and more as reinforcement in concrete structures. Due to their high durability the concrete covers can be extremely thin compared to traditional steel reinforced concrete, resulting in the possibility to build very thin elements with excellent performance. To improve the properties of the carbon textiles, the rovings are normally impregnated with different types of polymers. Additionally to the use as reinforcement, carbon textiles can also be used as anodes for cathodic protection. However, while first tests have shown, that impregnated carbon rovings are suitable to be used as CP-anodes, it is still not clear under which conditions the new types of anodes are stable or when they start to dissolve. This paper describes investigations on the influence of an anodic polarisation on the tensile strength of different types of impregnated carbon rovings.