Deterioration of portland cement concrete (PCC) bridge decks is a serious problem in many parts of the U.S. resulting in high maintenance costs to keep the decks in a safe and serviceable condition. Although deck deterioration can take several forms, such as scaling, cracking, or spalling, it is the spalling problem that has become predominant within the last 10 years or so as the major contributor to the bridge deck maintenance situation. The increased frequency of spalling of PCC bridge decks appears to be directly related to the increased use of deicing salts (primarily NaCl and CaCl2) in recent years. Chloride ions accelerate the rate of corrosion of the reinforcing steel in the concrete. The formation of corrosion products on the steel results in a build-up of stresses in the concrete which is ultimately manifested as spalling of concrete on the deck surface.

Subject
Rebar, Chloride ions, Slabs, Steel, Titanium, Bridges, Chlorides, Electrochemical potential, Concrete, Electrolytes, Resins, Electrode potential, Anodes
© 1976 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1976
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
You do not currently have access to this content.