Characterization of the Long-term Behavior of Textured Epoxy Coated Rebars in Bridge Decks

Steel reinforcing bars are placed in concrete to strengthen bridges. Placing a textured epoxy coating (TEC) on rebars not only prevents corrosive materials from damaging them, but also improves the composite behavior between steel and concrete. The aim of this project is to evaluate the bond between steel, coating and concrete in textured epoxy-coated rebars and verify that the corrosion protection is equal to coated rebars without texture. The objectives of this research are as follows: (1) verify the consistency in the roughness and bond strength of the new generation of TEC bars, (2) study the impact of TEC bars on controlling crack growth under thermal cycles and high-cycle fatigue loads (service-level live loads) and how it compares to epoxy-coated bars, (3) explore the effect of TEC bars in mitigating the progression of cracks in bridge decks subjected to realistic surface wet conditions, (4) determine the factors impacting the rebar development length and ultimate strength of bridge decks reinforced with TEC bars, (5) establish the corrosion resisting ability of TEC bars subjected to an environment that represents a concrete bridge deck in Illinois. If testing is successful, the use of textured epoxy-coated rebars will lead to longer-lasting bridge decks.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $1093340
• Contract Numbers:

  R27-260

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Illinois Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Materials and Physical Research
  126 East Ash Street
  Springfield, IL  United States  62704-4766
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  Illinois Center for Transportation
  1611 Titan Drive
  Rantoul, IL  United States  61866
• Principal Investigators:

  Andrawes, Bassem

  Popovics, John

• Start Date: 20230816
• Expected Completion Date: 20261215
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bond strength (Materials); Bridge decks; Corrosion resistance; Cracking; Epoxy coatings; Reinforcing bars; Texture
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01890021
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Illinois Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: R27-260
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 14 2023 11:32AM