Renovation of the Belfry heritage structure of Le Touquet in France using TFC²

After years of absence, the bells rang again in Le Touquet, seaside town of northern France. Freyssinet France led a renovation project on the belfry using TFC², an innovative technology that both strengthens this heritage structure and protects the reinforcing steel of concrete from corrosion.

What is TFC²?

TFC² is a new combined solution for structure strengthening and cathodic protection. It is a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) incorporating an electrically conductive resin, thus acting as a surface anode to polarise and protect the reinforcement steel in concrete from corrosion.

Main benefits of TFC²

  • It is a 2-in-1 system that extends the life of the structure.
  • Its application requires much less intrusive work than that needed by conventional Impressed Current Cathodic Protection systems: only grooves for embedding electrical cables

This pilot project allows us to demonstrate the performance of the innovation. Two months after the work was completed, the current, potential and depolarization values are equivalent to those of the conventional solution with embedded anodes. Data will continue to be collected under field conditions to validate both the long-term effectiveness of impressed current cathodic protection and the durability of the CRFP reinforcement.

The new belfry was inaugurated to celebrate the city’s 100th anniversary, welcoming new bells ready to ring for the next hundred years.

 

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