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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 156, Corrosion of metals and alloys, in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 219, Cathodic protection of steel in concrete, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).

This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 12696:2016), which has been technically revised.

The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:

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This document applies to cathodic protection of steel in concrete, with the concrete atmospherically exposed, buried or immersed.

As the criteria of protection for steel in buried or immersed concrete are those applicable to cathodic protection of steel in atmospherically exposed concrete, this revision of ISO 12696:2016 incorporates cathodic protection of steel in buried and immersed concrete. The provision of cathodic protection current can often be more economically provided to steel in buried and immersed concrete by using buried or immersed anode systems detailed in International Standards for buried and immersed steel structures, rather than the anode systems that are suitable for applications to steel in atmospherically exposed concrete. Therefore, reference is made to other International Standards in this respect while the cathodic protection performance criteria for steel in concrete are specified in this document for all exposures.

There are other electrochemical treatments intended to provide corrosion control for steel in concrete. These techniques include re-alkalization and chloride extraction and are not incorporated in this document. See EN 14038-1:2016[10] and EN 14038-2:2020[11] for information on electrochemical treatments.

Cathodic protection of steel in concrete is a technique that has been demonstrated to be successful in appropriate applications in providing cost effective long-term corrosion control for steel in concrete. It is a technique that requires specific design calculations and definition of installation procedures in order to be successfully implemented. This document does not represent a design code for cathodic protection of steel in concrete, but represents a performance standard for which it is anticipated that a detailed design and specification for materials, installation, commissioning and operation will be prepared by experts and experienced persons.