Patent attributes
An anode for use in cathodic protection of steel in concrete is formed from an electrically conductive material such as zinc and an ionically conductive material which is preferably a humectant and/or has a pH greater than 12 to enhance current flow. The materials are intimately intermixed through at least a part of the anode body and compressed into the anode body with an electrical connecting lead formed into a core of the body which is wholly conductive material. Portions of the electrically conductive material are pressed into electrical contact to form a plurality of electrically conductive paths within the anode body. Many of the voids in the body are interconnected to form a plurality of ionically conductive paths through the anode body by causing the humectant to migrate through the voids. The large surface area between the ionically conductive paths and the electrically conductive paths increase significantly the contact surface area of the anode body to increase current flow.
