Investigating Oxide Film Degradation at Arkansas Weathering Steel Bridges
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 38, Issue 3
Abstract
Uncoated weathering steel (UWS) is used for bridges to minimize maintenance costs incurred due to possible steel corrosion. State highway departments often use weathering steel for bridges with the expectation that the weathering steel structure will not corrode. Weathering steel has improved corrosion-resistant behavior over conventional steel; however, weathering steel is not maintenance free and will corrode if not used in correct ambient conditions and properly maintained. Consequently, weathering steel retards corrosion but may require future restoration through cleaning and/or applying surface coatings. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) bridge inspection inventory includes 859 UWS bridges. Approximately 11% of these bridges have some level of oxide film degradation, AASHTO defect code 3430. These bridges are located throughout the state. Other states have also experienced this condition, resulting in state highway departments facing the dilemma of how to restore weathering steel sections that have experienced corrosion. This article reviews the extensiveness and severity of oxide film degradation at UWS bridges in Arkansas, the prevalence of UWS oxide film corrosion in other states, how oxide film corrosion progresses as a function of time, and remediation measures.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) for its financial support of this research work. The authors thank the TRC2103 project managers, namely, Ms. Kimberly Romano and Ms. Gloria Hagins, and the TRC2103 Subcommittee, namely, Mr. Rick Ellis (chair), Mr. Jeff Jones, Mr. Andy Nanneman, Mr. Andy Tackett, Mr. Dennis Vire, and Mr. Yongsheng Zhao of ARDOT, for their guidance during this project. The authors thank Dr. Gary Prinz for configuring the testing equipment used for the accelerated corrosion testing and overseeing the accelerated corrosion lab experiment. The content of this article reflects the views and opinions of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of ARDOT.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 38 • Issue 3 • June 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 8, 2023
Accepted: Jan 5, 2024
Published online: Apr 10, 2024
Published in print: Jun 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Sep 10, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Architectural engineering
- Bridge engineering
- Bridges
- Bridges (by material)
- Building management
- Chemical degradation
- Chemical processes
- Chemistry
- Corrosion
- Deterioration
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Maintenance and operation
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Metals (material)
- Steel
- Steel bridges
- Structural engineering
- Weathering
- Wood bridges
Authors
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