Preliminary Corrosion Investigation of Prestressed Concrete Piles in a Marine Environment: Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier

Between the Fall of 1991 and Spring of 1992, a new fishing pier was constructed in Deerfield Beach, Florida, to replace a badly deteriorated pier that was demolished. The precast, prestressed concrete piles used in the construction of the new pier contained a water-based organic corrosion inhibitor consisting of amines and fatty acid esters. This inhibitor offers corrosion protection by reducing chloride ingress and by forming a protective film at the surface of embedded steel. In the Fall of 1993, a preliminary corrosion investigation of the piles was performed to assess the performance of the concrete used in the construction of the pier and to establish baseline values for future investigations. The techniques used included visual and half-cell potential surveys, and determination of chloride ion contents. Chloride ion contents at the reinforcing steel level were found to be well below that which would induce corrosion. Other types of testing and analytical techniques that may be used in future investigations to assess the performance of the piles and to predict their useful service life are also discussed.