Engineering Application Key Points of MMO Titanium Ribbon Anode & Titanium Conductive Strip for Reinforced Concrete Cathodic Protection

Reinforced‑concrete components such as coastal bridges, wharf piles, tunnels and industrial plants suffer long‑term chloride ingress and concrete carbonation. Internal steel bars corrode and expand, resulting in concrete spalling and serious structural safety hazards. Concrete has high resistivity. Ordinary anodes cannot deliver protective current evenly to all steel surfaces, putting high requirements on anode materials for concrete cathodic protection.

MMO titanium ribbon anode is a proven strip‑type auxiliary anode for ICCP impressed current cathodic protection of concrete. Combined with titanium conductive strip for current collection, it forms distributed anode grids widely used in new‑build and rehabilitation concrete projects. Iridium‑tantalum MMO coating features outstanding electrochemical stability in alkaline concrete environment with low oxygen‑evolution overpotential, stably supplying protective current inside high‑resistance concrete. Titanium conductive strip parallels multiple MMO ribbon sections to balance current over large‑area concrete and prevent local steel under‑protection.

During new‑concrete construction, MMO titanium ribbon anode and titanium conductive strip can be pre‑fixed outside rebar frameworks, kept insulated from steel by support spacers before concrete pouring. For aged corroded concrete structures, MMO ribbon can be embedded in slotted grooves filled with conductive mortar. Complete dismantling of original structures is unnecessary, greatly cutting retrofitting cost.

A frequent engineering pitfall is applying soil‑grade MMO titanium ribbon directly to concrete. Strong‑alkaline oxygen‑evolution concrete environment requires special coating formulation; otherwise premature anode passivation and failure will occur. Concrete‑project MMO ribbon shall adopt iridium‑tantalum coating tailored for high‑alkaline condition. Cross‑section of titanium conductive strip shall be calculated based on total current demand. Insufficient cross‑section for large‑area concrete leads to poor current output of remote anodes and unsatisfactory anti‑corrosion result.

Flexible MMO titanium ribbon can be arranged along beams, columns and curved tunnel linings to fit complex‑shape components. The anode system has negligible consumption. With normal rectifier operation, it provides long‑term cathodic protection for steel reinforcement, restrain steel corrosion and extend service life of concrete structures.

Design and sourcing suggestion: clearly inform manufacturers of reinforced‑concrete service environment and confirm MMO coating formulation. Calculate cross‑section and length of titanium conductive strip according to project current parameters. Seal joints properly to avoid moisture intrusion and continuous rise of contact resistance.