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Sectors: Engineering Structures

Extend the service life of your bridges, tunnels and viaducts in the face of reinforcement corrosion

Whether exposed to de-icing salts, sea air or carbonation, your reinforced and prestressed concrete structures are ageing due to corrosion of their reinforcement. According to Cerema, more than one in two bridges in France currently has defects that will need to be addressed in the coming years. Ultimately, the safety, traffic flow and durability of the infrastructure are at stake. BlueSpine cathodic protection acts directly on the cause of corrosion in engineering structures.

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The challenges of corrosion for your engineering structures

ISSUE 01

Weakening of the structure due to corrosion

A 40-year-old motorway bridge showing rust streaks under the deck: behind these visible signs of deterioration, the reinforcement bars continue to corrode. The pressure from swollen steel cracks and then bursts the concrete cover, and the progressive loss of cross-section can, over time, compromise the load-bearing capacity. The safety of the structure becomes a matter of urgency for the operator and users.
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ISSUE 02

Perturbation de l'exploitation et de la circulation

A port infrastructure or an active motorway viaduct cannot afford repeated closures. Yet conventional repairs do not last: every 5 to 10 years, the repair cycle starts again. Traffic disruption, operational constraints, logistical delays for operators and carriers: over time, the cumulative cost of these interruptions often exceeds that of the works themselves.
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ISSUE 03

Manque de visibilité sur l'état du patrimoine

On a motorway network sometimes comprising hundreds of bridges and tunnels, maintenance relies on a detailed knowledge of the condition of each structure. Without consolidated visibility, emergency interventions multiply, budgets become harder to forecast and prioritisation decisions lose their relevance.
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BlueSpine cathodic protection for your engineering structures

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The challenges of corrosion for your engineering structures

BlueSpine selects and supplies the appropriate anode technology for the geometry of each structure:

  • carbon paint on the underside of the deck;
  • discrete titanium anodes in chloride-contaminated crossbeams;
  • galvanic anodes on carbonated stringers.
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Maintain the operation of the structure

The modular design of the BlueSpine system allows zone-by-zone intervention: installation during night works or with a single-lane closure depending on the configuration. The equipment is designed to facilitate on-site installation and inspection, reducing the duration of operations. The structure remains operational throughout the works, and losses related to service interruption are kept to a minimum.
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Managing a portfolio of assets in real time

The Neurona platform centralises your cathodic protection installations and enables their remote supervision in real time. The operator has a consolidated view of their network, anticipates maintenance operations and smooths their multi-year budget. In the event of an incident, a configurable alert is sent to quickly organise the necessary intervention. The data collected integrates into regulatory monitoring records (IT 19-1, IN 0269, IQOA).
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Diagnosis
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Design &
sizing
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Cathodic protection system
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Tracking and monitoring

They chose BlueSpine to tackle corrosion on their engineering structures

Ouvrage d’art
Motorway Bridge 111 — Belgium
Design study for cathodic protection: BlueSpine supported the project by carrying out the feasibility study and sizing the solution.
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Pont
Pont du Septentrion — Var, France
Design study for cathodic protection: BlueSpine supported the project by carrying out the feasibility study and sizing the solution.
 
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They chose BlueSpine to tackle corrosion on their engineering structures

BSCP-100 · Control unit suitable for engineering structures

A unit designed for the most demanding site configurations.
  • Generation and regulation of the protective direct current, adjustable zone by zone
  • Possible power supply via solar panels…
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→ Discover the BSCP-100

Centralised management of infrastructure assets

Managing your asset portfolio from a single interface.
  • Remote and real-time monitoring of all equipped structures
  • Consolidated dashboard: performance indicators and alerts
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→ Discover the Neurona platform

Forced-current anodes · Suitable for all geometries

Anodes designed to adapt to all geometries, from the underside of the deck to the concrete pier.
  • Discrete anodes: embedded in boreholes, they protect the reinforcement bars.
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→ Discover forced-current anodes

They chose BlueSpine to tackle corrosion on their engineering structures

Diagnosis

Do you suspect that a structure is deteriorating? BlueSpine’s diagnostic tools enable surveyors and engineering firms to assess the condition of the reinforcement before any damage becomes visible, and to guide your maintenance strategy.
→ Request a diagnosis

Treatment

A deteriorating structure that needs to be preserved without disrupting traffic? Anodes, control units, monitoring platforms: BlueSpine supplies all the components required for cathodic protection, installed by a certified contractor and integrated into your maintenance programme.
→ Find out about corrosion treatment

FAQ

Your questions, our answers

 

 
1. Does cathodic protection replace structural reinforcement?
No, these are two different—and often complementary—approaches. Cathodic protection halts the corrosion process affecting the reinforcement, but does not restore any steel cross-section that has already been lost. In the case of a structure with a proven structural deficiency, cathodic protection is combined with structural improvement measures (such as carbon fibre reinforcement or additional prestressing) to address both the structural defect and the structural capacity.
 
Road engineering structures are subject to a tiered monitoring regime (IT 19-1: annual visits, detailed inspections every 6 years). SNCF Réseau structures follow IN 0269. The Neurona platform continuously provides potential and current data, which can be used in monitoring reports and IQOA files. Monitoring of cathodic protection thus complements the existing monitoring system, without replacing it.
 
Impressed current cathodic protection (PCCI) is the most suitable solution whenever concrete is contaminated with chlorides. In harsh marine environments, a galvanic solution would require a huge number of zinc anodes to provide the necessary current: this would mean a great many additional boreholes, and costs would skyrocket. In contrast, impressed current anodes (carbon or titanium MMO) deliver a high, continuously adjustable current, tailored to the actual aggressiveness of the environment.

Let’s talk about your book

Are you facing corrosion-related issues or looking to extend the lifespan of an existing structure? BlueSpine’s experts will help you analyse your situation and identify a solution tailored to your operational and maintenance requirements.

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