Development of Corrosion Resistant Prestressed Concrete Strands Utilizing Liquie Plasma Technology

This proposal is to prove the feasibility of a new and novel zinc-based alloyed coating on both the manufactured Grade 270 0.5 and 0.6 low-relaxation strands and for the individual wires used to make the 7-wire strand for prestressed concrete used in bridge construction. The application of the coating will use CAP Technologies LLC [CAP] proprietary and patented foam plasma technology also known as Electrolytic Plasma Technology [EPT] to apply the zinc-based alloyed coating. This particular application will require research to identify the best composition of electrolyte, and the best operating parameters. The adhesion of the individual wires will be tested by drawing the wire through a series of dies to reduce the diameter of the wire. After wire drawing, the wire will be tested to insure that the corrosion and the mechanical properties have not decreased. We anticipate that the coating on the wire will have superior corrosion properties because of the new composition or alloying of the metals in the coating. The EPT process has proven to be cost-effective in applying standard zinc coatings. This gives us confidence that the new superior coating composition can also be applied efficiently. (191 words)