Cathodic Protection Design for Steel in Concrete Structures

Module D1 – Pre-Design Investigation

If you want to eliminate costly engineering guesswork and prevent specified concrete repair materials from failing prematurely, this module establishes the foundational blueprint for a professional pre-design investigation.

Before a single anode can be chosen or a system layout drawn, asset integrity teams must answer a critical binary question: Is the deteriorated asset structurally salvageable or a complete financial write-off?

This training transforms your engineering approach by unpacking the strict requirements of BS EN ISO 12696 Section 5 alongside the multidisciplinary repair principles of BS EN 1504. 

You will discover how to transition from basic visual surveys to comprehensive data-gathering campaigns—tracking chloride contamination thresholds, carbonation depths, reinforcement electrical continuity, and parental concrete resistivity. 

By mastering this rigorous investigatory framework, you will learn to confidently justify BS EN 1504 Principle 10 (Cathodic Protection) as the most economic, non-destructive methodology for long-term structural life extension.

What You Will Learn

  • The Repair Framework (BS EN 1504): Learn to confidently step through the key rehabilitation stages: assessing condition, identifying deterioration causes, and choosing compliant repair principles.


  • The Screening Baseline (Stage 1): Evaluate whether a structure's operating requirements exceed its original capacity to determine if strengthening is feasible or if complete replacement is required.


  • Deteriorated Capacity Testing (Stage 2): Master the on-site dimensional checks, steel exposure steps, and mechanical testing protocols needed to assess real-world structural capacity.


  • Root Cause Diagnostics (Stage 3): Isolate specific degradation triggers using chloride analysis (BS EN 14629), carbonation depth tests (BS EN 14630), and concrete core petrographic profiling.


  • Feasibility Testing Metrics: Execute reinforcement electrical continuity tests and half-cell potential mapping to verify if a concrete asset can safely accept protective current paths.


  • Substrate Suitability Analysis: Assess parent concrete electrical resistivity to determine system compatibility and identify when non-conductive epoxy mortars must be stripped out.


  • Risk Register Engineering: Formulate a professional design risk register to manage liability gaps, structural loading changes, and health and safety risks outside personal expertise.

Who This Course Is For

If you are tasked with identifying structural defects or certifying long-term rehabilitation strategies for civil assets, this course delivers the exact diagnostic framework required for:

  • Civil & Structural Engineers: If you need to map out professional site investigations or specify durable concrete repair interventions under BS EN 1504 Part 9, this training provides the technical criteria needed to back your design decisions.


  • Asset Managers & Infrastructure Owners: If your structures are not meeting their original design lives or require rapid lifecycle extension due to change-of-use or load modifications, you will discover how to justify data-driven investment strategies.


  • Cathodic Protection Practitioners & Site Technicians: Take your diagnostic capabilities to a specialist level. You will master the pre-design field surveys needed to collect accurate inputs for both galvanic and impressed current systems.


  • Concrete Repair Specialists & Consultants: Refine your technical boundaries. Learn how to work alongside structural professionals to safely execute exploratory breakouts, clean exposed reinforcement bars, and test cementitious overlay bonding.


  • Sustainability & Asset Integrity Officers: If your goal is to minimise disruptive, carbon-heavy reconstruction cycles, you will learn how applying a targeted electrochemical potential preserves sound, contaminated concrete undisturbed.

Course Delivery & Requirements

To maintain strict compliance and ensure professional-level mastery, this course utilises an integrated learning framework:

  • On-Demand Video Lessons: High-yield video walkthroughs of concrete condition assessment, reinforcement testing protocols, and cathodic protection survey methods.


  • Comprehensive Downloads: Complete access to downloadable slides (PDF) and the module overview (PDF) for offline reference.


  • Direct Expert Q&A: Submit technical questions directly through the online learning platform to John Paul Segers (MSc, CEng, FICorr, FIMMM, BS EN ISO 15257 Level 5 Cathodic Protection Expert).


  • Progression Gate: Learners must complete all video lessons, review all documentation, and pass the integrated assessment before unlocking subsequent modules.


  • 100% Mastery Criteria: Achieving a perfect score of 100% on the final 15-question module quiz is required to proceed.


  • Members have access to the On-Demand Video Lessons and Quiz for 1 year from the date of registration, and complete access to downloadable slides (PDF) and the module overview (PDF) for offline reference.

Course Structure and Content

This element of the course has been extracted from the complete Fundamentals of Design for Cathodic Protection of Steel in Concrete Structures course as follows:

    1. Module I - Welcome and Course Overview - Video

    2. Purchasing Cathodic Protection Standards - Video

    1. Module D1 - Pre-Design Investigation - Overview

    2. Module D1 - Pre-Design Investigation - Video

    3. Module D1 - Pre-Design Investigation - Slides

    4. Module D1 - Pre-Design Investigation - Quiz

About this course

  • £95.00
  • 6 lessons
  • 0.5 hours of video content

Module D1 - Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, you will have developed an understanding of the:

  • Standards for selecting cathodic protection of steel in concrete repair - BS EN 1504.
  • BS EN 1504 key stages of selecting the concrete repair for deteriorated reinforced concrete structures.
  • BS EN ISO 12696 structure, assessment and repair requirements for cathodic protection.
  • When is an investigation needed?
  • Stage 1 - investigation objectives and repair feasibility assessment.
  • Stage 2 - investigation objectives - structural capacity in the deteriorated state. 
  • Stage 3 - investigation objectives - cause of deterioration.
  • BS EN 1504 - Basis for the choice of products and systems.
  • The decision to use BS EN 1504 repair principle 10 – cathodic protection.  
  • Investigation requirements when cathodic protection has been selected as the repair principle.
  • BS EN ISO 12696 requirements of concrete repairs for cathodic protection.
  • Cathodic protection design responsibility and risk.


Module Quiz

At the end of this module, there is a quiz consisting of 15 questions that are aimed at reinforcing the learning and knowledge you have gained from attending this module. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • If sound concrete is heavily contaminated with chlorides, must it be physically removed during a structural repair?

    No, and this is the primary economic advantage of electrochemical mitigation. Under BS EN 1504 Principle 10, if chloride contamination is threatening embedded steel but little to no physical spalling has occurred, it is often impractical and non-viable to remove sound concrete. When cathodic protection is deployed, sound, chloride-contaminated concrete should be left completely undisturbed wherever possible.

  • If my team is executing reinforcement preparation within a repair zone, why is removing corrosion scale critical for a future CP design?y have before purchase.

    Reinforcement exposed during the excavation phase must be thoroughly cleaned of heavy corrosion scale because these scales trap exceptionally high concentrations of local chlorides. If left uncleaned, these localised pockets disrupt the current distribution and degrade the operational performance of the installed cathodic protection system.

  • If a previous repair was completed using high-strength epoxy mortar, why does this affect cathodic protection viability?

    Cathodic protection systems rely on a continuous, uninterrupted pathway for electrical current to travel from the anode through the concrete to the steel. Traditional epoxy-type mortars are non-conductive and form an isolating barrier that blocks current flow. During the pre-design investigation, concrete electrical resistivity testing is required to locate these isolating patches so they can be systematically removed and replaced with compliant cementitious materials.

  • If an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system is selected, what specific logistical factors must be audited during the site investigation?

    Designing a comprehensive ICCP system requires several unique parameters that must be evaluated upfront. Your pre-design team must check for the localised availability of continuous AC utility power to energise future transformer rectifier units, verify the physical feasibility of drilling or cutting anode chases into the concrete elements, and ensure secure, long-term access for ongoing performance monitoring.

Module D1 - Pre-Design Investigation

Module D1 is the first of ten modules which form the complete Fundamentals of Design for Cathodic Protection of Steel in Concrete Structures course.

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Continue with your Learning and Personal Development

Individual modules do NOT provide CPD hours. To unlock your 50-Hour Certified CPD Certificate, you must complete all 10 modules.

Module D1 is the first of ten modules which form the complete Fundamentals of Design for Cathodic Protection of Steel in Concrete Structures course.

Completion of all modules of the full Fundamentals of Design for Cathodic Protection of Steel in Concrete Structures course provides you with a Continued Professional Development (CPD) completion certificate worth 50 hours.

I encourage you to continue with your learning and personal development to help identify that corrosion management can be used as an effective tool to support sustainable and low-carbon development now and in the future.

Fast-Track Your Professional Growth: Upgrade to the Full Masterclass

Love Module D1? Don’t leave your professional credentials halfway completed.

While Module D1 provides excellent foundational skills in Pre-Design Investigation, true engineering mastery requires the full picture. 

By upgrading to the complete Fundamentals of Design for Cathodic Protection of Steel in Concrete program, you instantly unlock:

  • Official 50-Hour CPD Certificate: Globally recognised certified development hours that cannot be issued for individual modules.


  • The Complete 10-Module Blueprint: Seamlessly progress into advanced design criteria, practical lab metrics, and complex current density requirements.


  • Exclusive Masterclass Bonus Materials: Download our premium, restricted-access industry reports:
    • Introduction to Corrosion and Corrosion Control (24-Page Specialist Guide)
    • Assessment, Monitoring, and Investigation of Existing Galvanic Anode Systems (14-Page Technical Report)

Your Exclusive Credit: Get Module D1 for FREE

We want to reward your commitment to sustainable engineering.

We will completely deduct the cost of Module D1 from your full course registration. Email me for a coupon code to claim your £95.00 discount and seamlessly transfer your progress toward your official CPD Certification. Valid for 30 days following your initial purchase.
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