Two-Course Bonded Concrete Bridge Deck Construction: Condition and Performance After Six Years

About the report:

This report presents the findings from a six-year study of two-course bonded concrete bridge decks constructed in Virginia. Each of three special portland cement concretes was applied as an overlay, or wearing course, on two experimental spans. The overlays were a latex-modified, a low-water/cement and a wire-fiber concrete. Two spans constructed by a conventional single-lift technique on nearby structures with ordinary concrete served as controls for the study. The report summarizes the evaluation of the construction, concrete properties, condition, and performance of the eight study spans through 1980. The condition and performance of the study spans warrant the use of two-course bonded bridge deck construction in four primary applications cited in the recommendations of the report. The latex-modified and low-w/c concretes exhibited improved resistance to chloride ion penetration as compared to ordinary concrete, but the wire-fiber concrete did not. Suggestions are made concerning a quality assurance program for the latex-modified concrete and a program for monitoring such installations to determine the particular conditions that may predispose them to cracking.

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