Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is widely recognized as the least expensive and most cost-effective means of ensuring (and in many cases extending) the planned service life of any capitalized item. For example, the potential for galvanic corrosion of metals can be mitigated through the utilization of coatings, encapsulations, and/or the provision of cathodic protection.
Concrete’s principal enemies are damage from the chemical attack of its aggregate/cement matrix and the corrosion of the steel reinforcement necessary for its tensile strength. A variety of coatings and encapsulations can be employed to repair and protect such structures.
Timber pilings, which are subject to attack by bacteriological organisms, can be protected with similar methods. Wood can also be protected by creating an anaerobic environment that does not support marine organisms.
