Condition and Performance of Epoxy-Coated Rebars in Bridge Decks of the State of Pennsylvania and New York

Fusion bonded epoxy coating technology has been the primary defense used by most state agencies, including the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), to protect reinforcing steel in concrete from corrosion. However, results from recent research activities cast doubt on the ability of epoxy coatings to provide long-term corrosion protection to steel in concrete exposed to chlorides. The projected problem has been attributed to the number and size of breaks or defects in the coating and reduction in adhesion between the epoxy coating and steel substrate. Coating breaks or defects are represented by holidays, narrow cracks, mashed areas, and bare areas that occur during coating application, fabrication bending, transportation, handling, and concrete vibrating. Reduction of the adhesion bond between the epoxy coating and underlying steel has been widely observed. Occurrence of this phenomenon has been found to be independent of the level of chlorides at the reinforcing steel depth and may or may not be associated with corrosion underneath the coating. While there is a consensus on the occurrence of these problems, their significance with regard to the long-term performance of epoxy coated reinforcing steel in concrete bridge structures exposed to salt in-service is not completely understood, and thus, much controversy remains. PennDOT and NYSDOT decided to conduct a joint research effort to survey and evaluate in-service bridge decks constructed with epoxy coated reinforcing steel by way of a statistically based sampling plan. Project funding was provided through a regional pool fund and the Federal Highway Administration. This paper presents a summary of the project findings. A detailed report on the project is available from PennDOT.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0784407533
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  International Headquarters, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400

  Structural Engineering Institute

  American Society of Civil Engineers
  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Sohanghpurwala, Ali Akbar
• Conference:
  • Metropolis and Beyond
  • Location: New York NY, United States
  • Date: 2005-4-20 to 2005-4-24
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 9p
• Monograph Title: Metropolis and Beyond: Proceedings of the 2005 Structures Congress and the 2005 Forensic Engineering Symposium, April 20-24, 2005, New York, NY

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adhesion; Bridge decks; Chlorides; Concrete; Corrosion protection; Depth; Epoxy coatings; Evaluation; Performance; Reinforcing bars; State departments of transportation; Statistical sampling; Steel
• Uncontrolled Terms: Condition; Fusion bonded epoxies; Long term performance
• Geographic Terms: New York (State); Pennsylvania
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01026511
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0784407533
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 3 2006 7:08AM