Performance of strip seals in Iowa bridges, pilot study.

Details

• Creators:
  Bolluyt, James E. ; Kau, V. B. ; Greimann, L. G.
• Corporate Creators:
  Iowa State University
• Corporate Contributors:
  Iowa. Dept. of Transportation ; Iowa. Highway Research Board
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bridges Bridges--Iowa--Floors--Joints Floors Joints (Engineering) Joint Sealers Sealing Compounds
• Publication/ Report Number:
  Project TR-437
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Iowa
• Edition:
  Final report.
• Corporate Publisher:
  Iowa State University
• Abstract:
  A pilot study was conducted on the premature failures of neoprene strip seals in
  
  expansion joints in Iowa bridges. In a relatively large number of bridges, strip seals have
  
  pulled out of the steel extrusions or otherwise failed well before the expected life span of the
  
  seal. The most serious consequence of a strip-seal failure is damage to the bridge
  
  substructure due to salt, water, and debris interacting with the substructure.
  
  A literature review was performed. Manufacturers’ specifications and
  
  recommendations, practices in the states bordering Iowa, and Iowa DOT design and
  
  installation guidelines were reviewed. Discussions were held with bridge contractors and the
  
  installation of a strip seal system was observed. Iowa DOT bridge databases were analyzed.
  
  A national survey was conducted on the use and performance of strip seals.
  
  With guidance from the Iowa DOT, twelve in-service bridges with strip-seal
  
  expansion joints were selected for detailed investigation. Effective bridge temperatures and
  
  corresponding expansion-joint openings were measured, DOT inspection reports were
  
  reviewed, and likely cause(s) of premature failures of strip seals were proposed.
  
  All of the seals used in the twelve bridges that had the most serious failures were in
  
  concrete girder bridges. Experimental results show that for a majority of these serious
  
  failures, the joint opening at 0° F predicted by the Iowa DOT design equations, the joint
  
  opening at 0° F extrapolated from the experimental data, or both, are larger than the
  
  movement rating of the strip seal specified on the bridge plans. Other likely causes of
  
  premature failures of seals in the twelve bridges include debris and ice in the seal cavity, a
  
  large skew and the corresponding decrease in the movement rating of the seal, improper
  
  installation, and improper setting of the initial gap.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:c656ab977012839b962a533907de085308022b3e71622f631543bb70ea2f3f70
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/23814/dot_23814_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.56 MB ]