Effectiveness of Concrete Bridge Deck Sealants

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) questions if the use of the polymer chip seals is efficient and cost-effective in preventing water and chloride infiltration on bridge decks. Polymer chip seals are commonly used to seal the decks, resulting in improved friction (skid resistance). Since the early 1990s, SDDOT has used polymer chip seals on decks to reduce water permeability and chloride penetrability. This prevents deterioration due to corrosion of the steel reinforcement from chloride ingress in the decks. The seals' failure on the deck causes rapid degradation that significantly increases maintenance costs to prolong service life of the decks. To determine the effectiveness of deck sealants and their performance on bridge decks in South Dakota, immediate and rigorous laboratory and field testing-based research considering different types of deck sealants must be done. This work will not only help validate the claim for efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the sealants for South Dakota bridge decks, but also provide technical recommendations regarding their practical use.

• Record URL:
  https://www.mountain-plains.org/research/details.php?id=523

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $232320
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747108

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108
• Project Managers:

  Tolliver, Denver

• Performing Organizations:

  Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

  South Dakota State University
  Brookings, SD  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Ghabchi, Rouzbeh

  Wehbe, Nadim

• Start Date: 20200219
• Expected Completion Date: 20240731
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Source Data: MPC-626

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Chip seals; Concrete bridges; Cost effectiveness; Field tests; Laboratory tests; Polymers
• Geographic Terms: South Dakota
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01733132
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Mountain-Plains Consortium
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747108
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 6 2020 5:19PM