Constant extension rate testing experiments were performed upon prestressing steel wire specimens prepared from three lots of Grade 270 and one lot of Grade 250 material for the purpose of characterizing susceptibility to environmental cracking under conditions associated with cathodic protection of prestressed concrete components and structures. Smooth, notched (six different geometries) and pitted (four different geometries) specimens were tested in air and deaerated saturated Ca(OH)2-distilled water at potentials of -0.90 and -1.30 v (SCE) and strength and ductility properties characterized. Relatively low strength was recorded for steel specimens at -0.90 v from material for which the weight percent chromium was relatively high (0.24 w/o compared to 0.02 w/o). Under conditions that are likely to be most relevant to service, fracture load correlated with the amount by which the local wire cross section area was reduced, either from a notch or pit, and was
independent of depth of the irregularity and of root radius to the extent to which these were addressed. In was concluded that it may be unsafe to apply catholically protection to prestressing wire, even in situations where potential is maintained in the regime where hydrogen embrittlement should not occur,
Keywords: Cathodic protection, prestressing steel, prestressed concrete, hydrogen embrittlement.