Damage evaluation and repair proposals for reinforced concrete foundations with corrosion damage, and power line towers on a lagoon, Colima, Mexico

This is an example of damage due to severe exposure conditions: four power lines with ten towers each, crossing a lagoon next to the sea from the power plant to land, in Colima, have been studied. The reinforced concrete foundations of the towers were cast in place about 30 years ago. An evaluation was required to know the severity and extent of the damage on the concrete due to corrosion on the reinforcement of piles and beams. Visual inspection, NDTs (pulse velocity measurement, carbonation indicator and an unsuccessful attempt to measure corrosion rate by polarization resistance technique), sampling concrete cores to verify compressive strength and elasticity modulus, sampling concrete powder for determining pH and chloride contents, were carried out. With the results, repair procedures were proposed, considering the operation of the towers during the repair process. In this paper the results of the study and the repair proposals are shared.