The assessment and prediction of reinforcing steel corrosion on the Dickson Bridge /

Many concrete structures built in the 1960s and 1970s are now showing significant signs of deterioration. The Dickson Bridge, constructed in 1959, was decommissioned by the City of Montreal in 1994 due to extensive deterioration of the bridge deck. A collaborative research investigation was carried out in 1997--8 on the bridge to: (a) assess the corrosion induced damage in the concrete deck, (b) identify the causes of the observed deterioration, and (c) investigate suitable test techniques for predicting corrosion. The results of this collaborative research program between McGill University and The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and some industrial partners, are presented in this thesis.A range of test methods related to the mechanisms causing corrosion, or to the concrete properties indicative of the probability of corrosion was used. Both methods (measuring damage, and measuring material properties and exposure parameters) were used to predict the corrosion rate of the reinforcing steel. Overall, the measurement of the corrosion potential was of important significance, however, to improve the assessment of the likelihood of corrosion, it was advantageous in combining this technique with a survey of the delamination, concrete cover thickness and chloride profiles. (Abstract shortened by UMI.