PERFORMANCE OF EPOXY-COATED REINFORCING BARS IN EXISTING CONCRETE STRUCTURES IN NORTH AMERICA

Abstract

To discuss effectiveness of epoxy-coated reinforcing bars (ECR) in existing concrete structures, reliable datasets from numerous performance investigations of ECR carried out in North America were re-analyzed from a viewpoint of the chloride threshold level for corrosion of ECR. It was found that corrosion of ECR in bridge decks suffering deicing salt depended on the chloride level in concrete around ECR regardless of concrete cracking and disbondment of coating, and that the chloride threshold level for ECR was larger than that for black steel. In addition, it was recognized that a large amount of chloride ions existed at ECR, whenever corrosion cases of ECR were observed in early-deteriorated bridge piers at coastal areas in Florida as well as the bridge decks. This paper recommends that even when using ECR at coastal areas, chloride level in concrete at ECR should be kept below the threshold level for ECR.