Marilyn:

This sounds similar to a device that is sold that alleges to prevent
cars from rusting by charging them electrically (an alternative to
rustproofing).  I have no idea if it works.

It couldn't draw much in the way of amperage or it would drain the car
battery.  No idea what power it would take to keep a building
polarized...

-----Original Message-----
From: Marilyn Harper [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, December 14, 1998 7:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject:


     John Leeke wrote:  "Basically, if the material which the paint is
applied
     to is grounded (I.E. concrete or cement, stone, ect.) the strong
high
     frequency electrical fields which are produced by the tesla coil
will
     polarize the paint next on the grounded surface (or really any
surface).
     This polarization reverses at a high frequency causing mechanical
stresses
     between the surface and the paint. Eventually the weakend bond
breaks under
     the intense electrical fields and the paint "pops" off. Also
thermal
     expansion of moisture in the base material can cause the paint to
peel off
     from the coil as the RF energy produced causes moisture to
vaporize."

     Is this related to a process I heard about that can be used to
prevent
     deterioration of concrete in ocean-front buildings?  The lecture
was about
     spectacular and rapidly deteriorating 50s buildings in Havana, but
the same
     would probably apply to Miami Beach and other such places.  The
process had
     something to do with using an electrical current to change the
positive
     charge on the concrete to negative (or maybe the other way round,
I'm not
     very good at physics!), which apparently inhibits the deterioration
due to
     the salt in the air, or something like that.  The architect I heard
seemed
     to be saying that that (very expensive) process is virtually the
only way
     to save concrete structures near the ocean.

     As you can tell, I didn't understand all of this, but was
interested both
     because of the process and because I didn't know that these
buildings
     essentially couldn't be saved otherwise.

     Anyone know anything about this??

     Marilyn Harper
     National Register of Historic Places
     (which is in no way responsible for the content of this message)