ANODE REC.AXIS RADICE 55mm

Function and technical context

The shaft coating anode for Radice 55 mm shafts acts as sacrificial cathodic protection, absorbing the electrolytic wear that salt or brackish water causes on the metal parts of the propulsion line. It is installed directly on the tail shaft of the propeller, forming part of the anti-corrosion system of the underwater transmission. Its function is essential to preserve the shaft, the horn and the bronze or stainless steel accessories against galvanic corrosion: if the anode is exhausted without being replaced, the electrolytic attack is transferred to high-cost structural components that are difficult to repair in the dock.

When to replace this part?

The main symptom of an exhausted anode is the visible reduction in its mass: when it has lost more than 50% of its volume it must be replaced immediately, although it is usual to replace it every nautical season or at each annual stranding, regardless of its apparent condition. In areas of high water conductivity or high eddy electrical currents, the service life may be reduced to six months. Changing the shaft anode preventively at each grounding is the most economical measure to avoid corrosion of the propulsion shaft, a component whose replacement multiplies the cost of the anode by many.

Compatibility table