Concrete Sealers for Protection of Bridge Structures

摘要

The report documents the effectiveness of different chemical sealers when applied on unreinforced concrete and cracked reinforced concrete specimens subjected to different environmental test exposures. Their effectiveness was established by determining their ability to minimize the intrusion of chloride-laden water into concrete during four different laboratory test phases, including 24-week accelerated weathering tests simulating northern and southern climates. The investigation was aimed at all bridge surfaces except the top surface of the bridge deck. Many materials were found to be ineffective in reducing the water absorption and chloride intrusion characteristics of coated concretes subjected to simple saltwater soaking tests. Certain specific formulations of different chemical materials exhibited excellent performance in all four laboratory test series.