Patent ID: 7226532

Claim:
A method for cathodic protection comprising: providing steel material; the steel material having thereon a covering material such that a part of the steel material is at least partly covered by the covering material; forming a cathodic protection combination by: providing an anode member defined by an anode body formed of a sacrificial anode material; arranging the anode member at least partly in contact with the covering material for communication of ions therebetween; and electrically connecting the anode member and the steel material so that an electrical potential is generated by galvanic action between the sacrificial anode material and the steel material which causes ions to flow through the covering material tending to inhibit corrosion of the steel material while causing corrosion of the sacrificial anode material of the anode member; wherein the corrosion of the sacrificial anode material of the anode body acts to form corrosion products where the corrosion products have a greater volume than the sacrificial anode material of the anode body from which the corrosion products were formed thus tending to cause expansion of the anode body, the contact between the anode member and the covering material being such that the expansion tends to breakdown the covering material or the connection between the covering material and the anode member; and restricting the expansion of the anode body and thus preventing the breakdown caused thereby by providing a reinforcing layer at or adjacent the anode member which applies restraining forces to the anode body.