Corrosion is a serious threat to the long-term function and integrity of a steel bridge. Structural steel will corrode if left unprotected or inadequately protected from the natural environment. This corrosion can take the form of general uniform thickness loss or concentrated pitting depending on exposure to the environment and the steel design detail in question. Bridge designers should view corrosion as a long term threat to the integrity of the bridge structure, and is a critical consideration that must be addressed in a rational manner during the design process. While there are several proven strategies for corrosion protection of steel bridges, there is no universal solution. The proper system must be chosen to accommodate cost, fabrication and productivity, and long term performance and maintenance. Additionally, each corrosion protection system must be selected based on the anticipated exposure of the structure to corrosive elements over its lifetime. This module highlights the most common issues confronting bridge designers regarding corrosion protection and provides guidance in this area.
United States. Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research, Development, and Technology
2012-11-01
Abstract:
The coatings industry switched from lead-based to zinc-based three-coat systems in the 1970s to protect steel bridges from corrosion after identificat...
This report describes a 4-year bridge and test fence evaluation of protective coatings for maintaining weathering steel bridges. The test specimens co...
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving a Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS)/National Transportation Library (NTL)
Web-based service.
Thank you for visiting.
You are about to access a non-government link outside of
the U.S. Department of Transportation's National
Transportation Library.
Please note: While links to Web sites outside of DOT are
offered for your convenience, when you exit DOT Web sites,
Federal privacy policy and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act (accessibility requirements) no longer apply. In
addition, DOT does not attest to the accuracy, relevance,
timeliness or completeness of information provided by linked
sites. Linking to a Web site does not constitute an
endorsement by DOT of the sponsors of the site or the
products presented on the site. For more information, please
view DOT's Web site linking policy.
To get back to the page you were previously viewing, click
your Cancel button.
United States Department of Transportation
[PDF-1.88 MB]
