United States Department of Transportation
i
Evaluation of bridge deck sealers.
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2014-06-01
[PDF-955.82 KB]
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Abstract:This study focuses on the evaluation of bridge deck sealers commonly used on highway bridge decks and
their relative performance. After reviewing the most up-to-date research findings on chemical sealers used
by state DOTs, four sealer products that could potentially be used by the Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT) were selected for evaluation. High molecular weight methacrylate (HMWM), two
epoxies, and a silane were assessed for their skid resistance and ability to block or slow down moisture and
chloride ion penetration into concrete bridge decks. Bridge structure E-17-QM (westbound US 36 to I-270
over I-25) was selected for the field study. The four sealers were installed on the deck surface of Bridge E-
17-QM by professional contractors on 06/02/2010. Skid resistance, temperature variation, moisture
fluctuation, and chloride concentration profiles in concrete were selected as the four experimental
parameters for evaluating the performance of the four sealers. Eighteen integrated sensors were installed
in the bridge decks in the five testing sections and at different depths for monitoring the internal
temperature and relative humidity distributions in concrete. Concrete cores were taken at four periods
during the project to test for chloride concentration profiles. The British Pendulum Tester (BPT) was used
to measure the skid resistance of the concrete surface with and without sealers. From the analysis and
comparisons of the test data, the performances of the four sealers were ranked in terms of the four
experimental parameters.
Implementation
Without further long-term data, the use of sealers is recommended as a viable short-term protection
system. If CDOT chooses to use a long-term bridge deck sealing system, HMWM is recommended over
the other sealers. Eligible bridge decks should be selected based on the assessment of percent deck
deterioration, estimated time to corrosion, deck surface condition, and concrete quality.
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