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PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF WEATHERING STEEL AND HYDRODEMOLITION ON BRIDGE STRUCTURES

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, Civil Engineering.
Steel is among the most commonly used material for bridges. However, this material succumbs to corrosion which is among the leading cause for degradation in the bridge structure. With the aging infrastructure in America, it is paramount to design future bridges to combat corrosion loss, while creating a fast, safe, and efficient method to repair the current bridges. This research focuses on two separate objectives. The first objective is to obtain a better understanding on the current practices of maintenance and the performance of weathering steel (WS) bridges in the US. Weathering steel (WS) is a material that forms a protective patina layer allowing the steel to be impermeable to water and chloride when formed properly. To achieve the first objective, an extensive literature review is first conducted, followed by a survey to state department of transportation to understand the research needs. Then this research collects performance data through literature to explore the possibility of developing a performance prediction model for WS. It is found the performance of WS depends on a large amount of parameters (such as environment, sheltering, orientation, angle of the exposure, time of wetness, atmospheric pollutants, salt, and debris), and there is a need to develop a prediction model for WS performance and also establish a standard guideline for maintenance of WS bridges. The second objective of this research is to evaluate effective concrete removal methods for bridge deck patch-repair. The current practice to remove concrete is by using pneumatic breakers, which presents a danger to operators and damages to the sound concrete and rebar. To achieve this objective, an extensive literature review is conducted to evaluate the current method and alternative methods that can address the limitations of the current method. Three Conjet hydrodemolition robots were evaluated based on the overall cost saving and effectiveness. Based on the evaluation, the Conjet robot 327 is the recommended option to repair damaged bridge decks.
Qindan Huang, PhD (Advisor)
David Roke, PhD (Committee Member)
Craig Menzemer, PhD (Committee Member)
226 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Thomas, J. E.J. (2019). PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF WEATHERING STEEL AND HYDRODEMOLITION ON BRIDGE STRUCTURES [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564735306148965

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Thomas, Joshua. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF WEATHERING STEEL AND HYDRODEMOLITION ON BRIDGE STRUCTURES. 2019. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564735306148965.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Thomas, Joshua. "PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF WEATHERING STEEL AND HYDRODEMOLITION ON BRIDGE STRUCTURES." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564735306148965

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)