INFRASTRUCTURE
The Backbone of the Modern World
Roadways, bridges, tunnels, reinforced concrete structures, water storage tanks, railway tracks, power transmission towers, and metal culverts and stormwater systems, tunnels, dams and other metallic structures critical to our everyday life are all susceptible to corrosion. In the past both private and public engineers have used useful life as a design measure – 50-60 years in most cases. We are at a critical moment in time as most if not all infrastructure in North America is older than its design life. This requires a mindset shift to retrofit projects to maintain their structural integrity when possible. The American Society of Civil Engineers rates the infrastructure in the United States annually. Dams, levees, roads and stormwater systems all received D ratings – nearly failing. Had corrosion prevention been implemented earlier in their life, the US’s infrastructure would be in much better shape, and the $6 trillion estimated repair bill would be much smaller. As long as the asset is still functional, it is worth repairing and protecting.
Protecting Tools of Our Economy
American Carbon is working to change this narrative and increase the awareness of the value of cathodic protection on our infrastructure. Almost all of our anode lines from BADGERCONNECT Magnesium Anodes to BADGERCOAT Mixed Metal Oxide Anodes have a place in protecting these important tools of our economy. In the past corrosion of metallic structures had been considered inevitable. With our advanced products and application technologies this is no longer the case.