This report presents findings on a corrosion study related to the corrosion resistance of eight types of metallic dowel bars. The accelerated laboratory corrosion testing was performed using seven small-scale concrete slabs that simulated typical concrete pavements for 452 d of a modified Southern Exposure followed by a detailed autopsy of the extracted bar samples. The best corrosion performance was achieved by type 316L solid stainless steel (SS) dowel bars. Three types of stainless steel–clad bars also exhibited superior corrosion resistance. The epoxy-coated dowel bars performed well and behaved similarly to the SS bar types despite varying degrees of coating delamination and localized corrosion originating from some of the artificial coating defects.


The target audience of this report is State transportation departments, city and county engineers, pavement researchers, and consulting firms.