JPH0465907B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a flexible electrode used for cathodic protection, wastewater treatment, various electrolysis, and the like.

(Prior art and its problems) In order to prevent corrosion of metal members buried in the ground such as bridge piers, reinforcing bars and steel frames of concrete, etc., it has been conventional to use plate-shaped, mesh, etc. An electrode having a shape such as a cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape is installed as an anode, and the above-mentioned metal member or the like is connected as a cathode to supply electricity. In order to install the electrode at the required location for corrosion protection, it is complicated to manufacture the electrode and the conductive wire for energizing it separately, and then connect and install the two on-site. It is desirable that the electrode for cathodic protection be installed close to the member to be protected from corrosion;
Conventional anticorrosion electrodes have the shape described above and are not flexible, so they cannot be changed to the desired shape. In other words, (a) the electrode and the conductor are manufactured separately, so it is difficult to connect them to prevent corrosion. (b) The shape of the electrode is fixed, so the shape of the electrode must be changed depending on the shape of the member to be protected against corrosion. The disadvantage is that it cannot be done.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in order to solve the drawbacks of the prior art described above, namely, that the electrodes are not flexible and troubles are likely to occur at the connection between the electrodes and the conductive wires. The purpose is to provide connected flexible electrodes.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides for a flexible conductor having an insulating coating formed with incisions at a plurality of locations in the length direction, and a flexible conductor that is disposed at a distance around the conductor. A reticular cylindrical electrode member made of conductive fibers that has corrosion resistance.
It is a flexible electrode that is connected by a donut-shaped conductive connector whose both sides are sealed with a pair of donut-shaped insulating sealants, and the maximum flexibility is that the entire electrode is flexible. Features.

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

The conductive wire used in the present invention may be any ordinary conductive wire with a core wire made by bundling a large number of small-diameter copper or aluminum wires, etc., and a coating made of a corrosion-resistant insulating material such as synthetic resin formed around the core wire. However, the insulating material is flexible so that the entire conductor can be deformed into any shape. Since the conductive wire is used in soil, concrete, etc., the coating is preferably corrosion resistant, and if necessary, the coating can be double or more.
Incisions are preferably formed at predetermined locations along the length of the conducting wire, preferably at approximately equal intervals, and all of the insulating material covering the core wire is removed in the circumferential direction at these locations.

Next, a conductive connecting body for connecting the core wire and an electrode member to be described later is placed in the incision. The conductive connecting body has a doughnut-like shape and is brought into contact with the periphery of the core wire from which insulating material has been completely removed in the circumferential direction. This electrically conductive connector is sealed with an insulating sealant such as synthetic resin to prevent leakage of current through the electrically conductive connector. Note that the conductive connector and the sealing material may or may not be flexible, and are preferably not flexible in order to resist external pressure. In view of conductivity and corrosion resistance, the conductive connector is preferably made of a film-forming metal such as titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, or an alloy thereof.

An electrode member made of conductive fibers having corrosion resistance is spanned between the tips of the plurality of conductive connectors and connected to the tips, so that the current flowing in the conductive wire passes through the conductive connectors. The electrode member is energized or a current in the electrode member is directed through the electrically conductive connection and into the conductive wire. This connection may be made by any connection means such as fixing or pressure welding as long as it electrically connects the conductive connector and the electrode member. The electrode member made of conductive fibers is flexible to provide flexibility to the electrode, and has a reticulated cylindrical shape. The electrode member is particularly preferably made of conductive fibers that are carbon fibers or fibers mainly containing carbon,
The conductive fibers may also contain small amounts of noble metals such as platinum, iridium, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium, oxides of these metals, or other metals, alloys, solid solutions, and the like.

The electrode of the present invention having such a structure can be used not only as an anode for cathodic protection, but also as an anode and a cathode for wastewater treatment, and an anode and a cathode in various electrolysis applications.
It can be widely used in fields where electrodes are required to be flexible. For example, when buried in concrete for concrete corrosion protection, the flexible electrode of the present invention is deformed according to the shape of the reinforcing bars or steel frames and placed close to the reinforcing bars or steel frames. Concrete is then poured around the reinforcing bars and steel frames to form a concrete building. When current is applied from the anode, which is the flexible electrode, the current is passed through the reinforcing bars and steel frames to be protected against corrosion, thereby preventing corrosion. As a result, regardless of the installation location, the anode and cathode are located as close as possible to each other, reducing the resistance between the two electrodes and reducing the applied voltage, resulting in energy savings. Furthermore, since the conducting wire and the electrode base material can be integrated and standardized, they can be mass-produced in factories, and there are almost no problems with the connection parts.

(Example) The present invention will be described in more detail below as an anode for cathodic protection based on an example shown in the accompanying drawings.
The examples are not intended to limit the invention; for example, the flexible electrode of the invention can be used as an anode in other applications,
Alternatively, it can be used as a cathode for cathodic protection or as a cathode in other applications.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing one embodiment of the flexible electrode according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view.

A covering 2 made of a flexible insulating material such as synthetic resin is placed around a core wire 1 made of a bundle of many small-diameter copper wires, etc.
The core wire 1 and the covering 2 constitute a flexible conducting wire 3. The coating 2 of the conductive wire 3 is completely removed in the circumferential direction at equal intervals in the length direction,
A plurality of cutouts 4 are formed in the conductive wire 3.
The proximal ends of donut-shaped conductive connectors 6 whose left and right sides are sandwiched between insulating sealing materials 5 such as synthetic resin are connected to each of the incisions 4, and the plurality of conductive connectors 6 A cylindrical and net-shaped electrode member 7 made of conductive fibers such as carbon fibers is spanned between the tips of each of the electrode members 7 and connected to the tips, and the conductive wire 3 and the electrode member 7 are connected to each other by the conductive connector 6. are connected.

The flexible electrode of this embodiment having such a configuration can be buried as an anode for cathodic protection, for example, in close proximity to reinforcing bars or steel frames in concrete, and having its shape deformed according to the reinforcing bars or steel frames. When the conductor wire 3 of the electrode is energized, the current flows from the conductor wire 3 through the conductive connector 6 to the electrode member 7, and flows through the concrete toward the surface of the reinforcing bars or steel frame of the concrete, for example. Corrosion protection for reinforcing bars, etc. can be achieved.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, at least the conductive wire and the electrode member connected by the conductive connecting body are made of a flexible material, thereby imparting flexibility to the entire electrode and making it possible to deform it into any shape. Therefore, regardless of the situation of the installation location, the optimal placement should be made according to the shape of the opposite electrode, etc.
As a result, the anode and cathode are located as close as possible, and the resistance between the two electrodes is reduced, so the applied voltage is also reduced, making it possible to save energy. Furthermore, since the conductor and electrode components can be integrated and standardized, mass production is possible without problems with connections at the factory, and since it can be handled in the same way as regular electric wires, it is easy to use in the field. Work efficiency is greatly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a flexible electrode according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 1...Core wire, 2...Coating, 3...Conducting wire, 4...
incision, 5... sealing material, 6... conductive connection body,
7... Electrode member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. The cut portions of a flexible conductive wire on which an insulating coating is formed, which are cut out at a plurality of locations in the length direction, and the conductive fibers that are present at a distance around the conductive wire and have corrosion resistance. 1. A flexible electrode characterized in that a reticular cylindrical electrode member is connected by a donut-shaped conductive connector whose both sides are sealed with a pair of donut-shaped insulating sealants. 2. The flexible electrode according to claim 1, wherein the conducting wire is made of copper. 3. The flexible electrode according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductive fibers are carbon fibers or fibers mainly containing carbon. 4. The flexible electrode according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is an anode for cathodic protection.