Considerations Necessary to Estimate the Service Life of Epoxy Coated Reinforcement in Bridge Decks

P. D. Krauss and J.S. Lawler Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, 2005

This paper discusses various issues relevant to the performance of bridge decks containing epoxy-coated reinforcing steel. The corrosion protection provided to bridge decks built with coated reinforcing is due to several phenomena. The epoxy coating reduces corrosion by: 1) forming a barrier to chloride ions at the anode (corroding) sites, 2) forming a barrier to oxygen at the cathode (non-corroding) sites, and 3) by increasing the ionic resistance path between the anode and cathode locations. This is best performed by damage-free, coated bars that are electrically isolated from other uncoated steel within the concrete.