A NEW LOOK AT GALVANIZED BRIDGES

The article describes how engineers are using galvanizing to protect steel bridges from corrosion. Although the Brooklyn Bridge suspension cables are the best known examples, recently, many structural parts of small bridges, from railings to pilings to entire superstructures have been galvanized. In Ohio, a 1080ft long, 24-ft wide truss bridge was designed, assembled, and then disassembled and galvanized, and again reassembled. In hot dip galvanizing, a zinc coating is applied to fabricated steel by immersion in a bath of molten zinc. It provides both barrier protection and cathodic protection against corrosion. Costs and the limited availability of galvanizers are the main deterrents to widespread installation of galvanized bridges. Experience with the installation of such bridges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and Connecticut are described. Bridge elements can be protected by metallizing, a process that deposits zinc from a wire via a flame. Galvanizing produces a metallurgical bond, while metallizing adds a coating that is like paint.

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  • Accession Number: 00611016
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: Jul 31 1991 12:00AM