Study on the effect of mesh ratio to the potential distribution of RC cathodic protection using BEM

Researchers and engineers have used cathodic protection (CP) to prevent corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC). Boundary element method (BEM) is a promising numerical technique to evaluate the effectiveness of CP on RC structures. However, some parameters that might affect the system or the potential distribution, such as mesh ratio, still need to be studied further. This paper aims to study the effect of mesh ratio on the potential distribution of RC installed CP using BEM. Simple 3D beam model of RC was used for the case study. The mesh for the model was triangular element and six variations of the mesh ratio were selected for the study. The mesh ratio obtained from the comparison between the size of the concrete element and the anode or cathode element. Simulation results show that the distribution of potential for all mesh ratios is within the protection criteria (⩽ −850 mV vs Cu/CuSO₄). However, the difference between maximum and minimum potential value becomes smaller when the mesh ratio increased. Hence, it shows that the mesh ratio has an effect on the distribution of potential of RC installed CP. However, it is still tolerable since the potential within protection criteria. (paper)