Investigation of Best Practices for Maintenance of Concrete Bridge Railings : Research Project Capsule

Details

• Creators:
  Hassan, Marwa M.
• Corporate Creators:
  Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  Louisiana. Dept. of Transportation and Development
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bridge Railings Bridge Superstructures Concrete Bridges Maintenance Maintenance Bridge Railings
• Publication/ Report Number:
  12-3C
• Resource Type:
  Booklet/Pamphlet
• Geographical Coverage:
  Louisiana
• Edition:
  Research project capsule
• Corporate Publisher:
  Louisiana Transportation Research Center
• Abstract:
  Mildew growth and darkening of concrete bridge railings and structures have
  
  negative impacts on their aesthetic value and durability. Darkening and stains
  
  are created by growth of biofi lms such as algae, cyanobacteria, and fungi. As
  
  fungi grow, the metabolic process produces pigments staining the concrete.
  
  Furthermore, several species of fungi or bacteria excrete organic acids,
  
  degrading the concrete. These organic acids produce calcium complexes, which
  
  can separate from the concrete matrix, reducing the material weight, the
  
  porosity, and the permeability of the structure. In addition, concrete, which has
  
  a high roughness and macro-porosity, also has a high bio-receptivity. The
  
  environmental conditions near bridge railings and structures, such as dampness,
  
  warmth, sunlight, and carbon from vehicle pollution, are ideal for microorganism
  
  colonization and growth. Other researchers reported that the use of highlyabsorptive
  
  low durability coarse aggregates should be avoided in Portland
  
  Cement Concrete (PCC) for bridge railing applications.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4c8589a664245c8fd06e8c3391ee721f3126a4edd1c2e7d485948a60aa6b7feaca383d3f2e19d124b51abaff53856becd1fb6adfd92514c5e65e1af19df18265
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25006/dot_25006_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 143.25 KB ]