On the 15th February the branch welcomed Paul Lambert, who gave a presentation on “1824 and all that – a celebration of the bicentenaries of Cathodic Protection and Portland Cement”, at the usual venue, the Lancaster Hall hotel, Bayswater, London.
Paul Lambert has over 40 years’ experience in the investigation of structural durability and degradation and in the development of novel remedial techniques for civil and building structures, most recently as Head of Materials & Corrosion at Mott MacDonald. In 2023, he became one of the first three inaugural Mott MacDonald Fellows. He is a past President of ICorr and is currently Chair of the Professional Assessment Committee (PAC). He is also a visiting professor at the Centre for Infrastructure Management at Sheffield Hallam University, where he carries out research into novel materials and repair technologies and is well qualified to talk on this subject.
Historical Background
On January 22, 1824, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in London accepted a paper for publication entitled ‘On the corrosion of copper sheeting by sea water, and on methods of preventing this effect; and on their application to ships of war and other ships’. The author was Sir Humphry Davy, and it described a study with his colleague Michael Faraday into what we now know as cathodic protection, which celebrates its 200-year anniversary in 2024. It was many years later before the true value of cathodic protection was recognised for the protection of buried and submerged steel structures. It was championed by the formation of the Texas-based Mid-Continent Cathodic Protection Association in 1938, which by 1943 had evolved into the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE, now AMPP) in the USA.
But that is only half the tale. On October 21st, 1824, a bricklayer in Leeds patented a new formulation of hydraulic binder for mortar and concrete which he called Portland cement due to its similarity to the popular structural stone, especially when mixed with beach sand. Portland cement eventually dominated the manufacture of all concrete worldwide.
200 years on, the long-term durability limitations of Portland cement concrete are regularly made good by the application of cathodic protection, making 2024 a very important year for those involved in reinforced concrete and its remediation. So, a happy 200th birthday to Cathodic Protection and Portland Cement. This was a very educational and entertaining presentation, and after questions, Paul was thanked, and presented with an ICorr pen in appreciation.
The branch held its AGM on 14th March, which was followed by the current ICorr President – Stephen Tate, with the bi-annual ‘State of the Nation’ speech.
The current chair of the branch, George Winning, highlighted the positive outcomes from the 22/23 season; hybrid meetings, introduction of webinars in the summer, which will be continued in ‘24, restarting the May event for branch members, which will also continue in ’24, and a very successful Christmas Luncheon. However, in-person and online, attendance were low, and this needs to be addressed.
The London branch treasurer, Jim Glynn, then showed and discussed the accounts for the 22/23 season. The branch receives an allocation from HQ to run all its activities, and after holding 6 evening technical meetings, May event, and the Christmas Luncheon, it returned a surplus of £10,500 to ICorr. Jim then proposed that these accounts be adopted, and this was proposed, and seconded by members attending, and approved.
George Winning as chair noted the 23/24 committee members, and thanked those who were standing down for their services. George stated he was also standing down due to other commitments, and that the new chair for 24/25 would be Paul Brooks, who will take over from the April meeting.
In his subsequent presentation, Stephen paid tribute to his predecessors for their major contributions to the Institute, and thanked the London Committee for its invitation to present this in-depth review of ongoing issues being addressed by the Trustees, and planned improvements to the Institute’s offering to members, both in the UK and overseas, with further opportunities for member engagement, following the successful roll-out of online webinars, that have proved very popular especially with those based outside the UK.
Paul Lambert Presenting on “1824 and All That” – a Celebration of the Bicentenaries of Cathodic Protection and Portland Cement.
George Winning Retiring Chair of the London Branch at the AGM.
Stephen Tate ICorr President Presenting the Bi-annual ‘State of the Nation’
Speech to London Branch.
