Federal Highway Administration 100-year coating study.

2012Final report.PDFTech ReportFHWA-HRT-12-044CoatingsSteel bridgesAccelerated testsLaboratory testsCorrosion protectionService lifeWeatheringIron and steel bridges--CorrosionProtective coatings--TestingUnited StatesUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationKodumuri, PradeepLee, Seung-KyoungSES Group and AssociatesRutgers University. Center for Advanced Infrastructure and TransportationNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Bridges and StructuresFederal Highway AdministrationThe Federal Highway Administration 100-Year Coating Study was initiated in August 2009 to search for durablecoating systems at a reasonable cost. The objective of the study was to identify and evaluate coating materials that canprovide 100 years of virtually maintenance-free service life for steel bridges. Selected coating systems included threethree-coat systems, four two-coat systems, and a single-coat system of high-ratio calcium sulfonate alkyd. All coatingsystems were evaluated under accelerated laboratory testing and three outdoor exposure conditions, namely naturalweathering and natural weathering with salt spray in McLean, VA, and outdoor testing at the Golden Gate Bridge inSan Francisco, CA. One design innovation was the employment of 18- by 18-inch large test panels that containedwelding joints and angle attachments using bolts and nuts to closely simulate realistic conditions that are encountered inbridges in the field. This report presents results of performance evaluation of the eight coating systems