Estimating chloride exposure of reinforced concrete bridges using vehicle spray and splash mechanisms

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) bridges located in cold climates are typically exposed to large amounts of deicing salts during winter, which causes corrosion-related deterioration of RC bridges. Vehicle spray and splash are the major mechanisms of transporting deicing salts from the road to the exterior bridge surfaces. However, a systematic method for incorporating these mechanisms in the estimation of chloride exposure of an RC bridge is not available in the literature. This article aims to fill this knowledge gap. An analytical method is proposed to estimate the surface chloride concentration for an RC bridge, considering snow precipitation, salt application, vehicle type, vehicle speed, traffic volume, and distance to the roadside. The proposed method is demonstrated using an example RC bridge, and the results are compared with reported data from field tests. A parametric study investigating the effects of various model parameters on the results is also included in this article. The proposed method is expected to improve the determination of corrosion initiation time in service life estimation models for RC bridges.

Keywords:

• Reinforced concrete
• bridges
• corrosion
• deterioration
• deicing salts
• vehicle spray and splash

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Region 2 University Transportation Center, which is funded by the US Department of Transportation. Support was also provided by the Institute of Bridge Engineering at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. The opinions, findings and views expressed in this study are the ones of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, standard specifications, or regulations of the parties acknowledged above. Funding agencies do not assume any liability for the contents or the use thereof.