The Cost of Steel Corrosion in Bridges

Reinforced concrete and steel, the two primary construction materials for bridges, have a heavy environmental footprint and both can fail prematurely from corrosion. Extending the lives of existing bridge structures reduces the total cost of ownership of a bridge, but also reduces the mining and processing activity needed to produce new construction materials. Life Cycle Costs and Life Cycle Assessment are important tools to measure this performance. Thermal sprayed zinc (TSZ) coatings have proven to be durable and economical for protecting and extending the lives of both reinforced concrete and steel bridges. Corroding reinforcing steel in concrete structures can be protected using TSZ external anodes. Steel bridges can be protected with TSZ coatings alone or as painted ‘Duplex’ TSZ coatings. Thermal spray zinc coatings can be applied in the factory or in the field, making them ideal for the rehabilitation of existing bridge structures showing signs of corrosion.