USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation
Turner-Fairbank logo
OFFICE OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE TURNER-FAIRBANK HIGHWAY RESEARCH CENTER

Performance Evaluation of One-Coat Systems for New Steel Bridges

Publication Information

Publication Type:
Report
Publication Number:
FHWA-HRT-11-046
Abstract:

The current state of art for corrosion protection of steel bridges involves a three-coat system typically consisting of a zinc-rich primer, an intermediate coat, and a top coat. Replacing a three-coat system with fewer coats without sacrificing corrosion resistance can lead to savings in production cost and improved productivity in the steel shops. Two-coat systems evaluated in a previous Federal Highway Administration study performed on par with the widely established well-performing zinc-rich three-coat systems. In this in-house one-coat study, commercially available coating materials that can be applied as one-coat systems to new steel bridges were evaluated. Eight one-coat systems and two controls, a three-coat and a two-coat system, were chosen, and their performance was evaluated using accelerated laboratory testing (ALT) and two outdoor exposure conditions, natural weathering (NW) and natural weathering with salt spray (NWS). ALT (6,840 h) and the two outdoor exposure conditions (NW and NWS), both 18 months, were performed at the Coatings and Corrosion Laboratory at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA, while another outdoor exposure was performed at a marine exposure site for 24 months in Sea Isle City, NJ. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance ranking of various one-coat test systems.

Publishing Date:
June 2011
NTIS:
PB2011112827
Publishing Office:
Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
FHWA Program(s):
Research
Infrastructure
AMRP Program(s):
Structures
FHWA Activities:
Long-Term Bridge Performance
Subject Area:
Research
Bridges and other structures