Evaluation of Guss Asphalt Applied to Steel Deck Surfacing

Construction of the new Guo Shien Bridge (GSB) included a steel orthotropic bridge deck. The higher flexibility of an orthotropic deck could cause a pavement placed upon it to fatigue and crack more quickly than a pavement placed on a normal roadway. The Guss asphalt mixture was applied to the steel deck pavement for the GSB. When heated to high temperatures, the Guss mixture is designed to be pourable asphalt mastic to provide an impermeable and durable layer for the steel deck surfacing. The basis of this paper was to evaluate the mixing and placing characteristics of the Guss asphalt mixtures. Various tests including Lueer fluidity, indentation, bending flexibility and wheel tracking were conducted to analyze the engineering properties of the Guss asphalt mixture for durability. Practical guidelines were given to enhance the quality of Guss asphalt mixtures. This paper was to provide background information on orthotropic bridge deck construction practices and document the construction of the Guss asphalt mixtures on the GSB.