Determining an Accelerated Performance Based Test Method for Ranking Commercially Available Corrosion Resistant Metal Reinforcement

About the project

As the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) transitions from using epoxy-coated reinforcing bars (ECR) in bridge-deck construction to corrosion resistant reinforcing steels (CRR), VDOT needs a way to characterize candidate bars and determine whether they will meet the desired service life.  

A preceding study, which is nearly complete, will provide the VDOT Materials pision with a method/specification for evaluating candidate bars. However, it has become apparent that cracks and cold joints in the concrete could significantly reduce the functional life of the embedded reinforcement, because of the loss of the protective concrete cover over the reinforcing steel. This project will investigate how to make a reproducible crack in concrete and then use that knowledge to recommend to VDOT a method for evaluating CRR under “cracked” conditions.

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Co-Principal investigators

Project manager

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