Project 35.003 – Structure and Foundation Corrosion Management

Update Fleet Management Tools to Account for Topography, Surface Water, and Groundwater Fleet management encompasses an understanding of environmental conditions and asset characteristics to determine the best methods to select, apply, inspect, assess, and maintain subgrade assets and structures. In 2026, EPRI intends on improving corrosion prediction capabilities by incorporating the effects of topography, surface water, and ground water in the soil corrosivity maps and models. Additionally, EPRI intends on describing these changes and how to apply these tools to specific locations and assets in the Fleet Management and Effects of Topography and Groundwater report.

Develop a Web Calculator for Steel Pole Strength Loss Utilization ratios are a critical metric for understanding if a steel pole is a reject due to corrosion damage. This task intends to provide a health assessment tool in the form of a web-based calculator for asset managers, engineers, and maintenance personnel to determine if the structure is degraded. This structure health calculator requires inspection data for the corrosion damage, structural loading criteria, structure design data, and environmental data for the soil corrosion rates. EPRI intends on publishing this web-based calculator on the Transmission Resource Center in 2026.

Develop Method to Quantify Stray Direct and Alternating Currents EPRI is developing a novel method for measuring stray and circulating currents by measuring changes in soil resistance with current injection. This method may be significantly affected by different soil types. In 2026, EPRI intends on evaluating this technique with variety of soil types to quantify the effect and update the Managing Structural Degradation Due to Stray and Circulating Currents report.

Develop a Cathodic Protection Web Application In 2026, EPRI intends on migrating guidance on designing, installing, and applying cathodic protections into a web-based tool available on the Transmission Resource Center.

Investigate Degradation of Anchors and Helical Piles This task explores the mode of failure for various anchor designs and helical piles to determine if that anchor is at risk due to stray or circulating current corrosion. This task is based upon new learning that will allow utilities to understand why anchor systems degrade and how to mitigate that corrosion. EPRI intends to focus research in 2026 on understanding circulating and stray currents in high soil resistivity and high groundwater levels and publish the Anchor Management Guidelines.

Update the Corrosion Management Reference Book (The Rust Book) This reference book contains asset management information for inspection, assessment, mitigation, and remediation of corrosion on transmission lines. The reference book contains the fundamentals of corrosion, guidance for inspection and assessment, and mitigation methods that align with environmental conditions. EPRI intends on adding a new chapter focused upon the development and operation of the EPRI-developed Corrosion Monitoring System (CMS) in 2026.

Evaluate New and Emerging Coating Systems for Atmospheric, Subgrade, and Marine Service Each year, EPRI evaluates new and emerging coating systems for addition to the coating library. Many of these coating systems are designed for application in a manufacturing facility, but many are also designed for repairs in the field. The value that utilities receive from this task is the ability to select a coating system for optimal performance in their service territory. EPRI intends to update the web-based Coating Selection and Application tool in the Transmission Resource Center.

Host a “Design for Extreme Environments” Workshop EPRI has interacted with utilities that operate transmission assets in extremely corrosive environments. There is potential value in understanding the performance of hardware, structures, and components subjected to such conditions. EPRI plans to host a workshop/information sharing session in collaboration with P35.002 (Conductor, Shield Wire, and Hardware Corrosion), and P35.008 (Line Resiliency), to facilitate mutual understanding of potentially useful countermeasures for extreme environments.

Provide Tools and Resources on The Transmission Resource Center The following calculators, tools, result summaries, and references are planned to be available on the Structure and Subgrade Corrosion Transmission Resource Center: