Abstract
As one of the major contributors to the early failures of steel bridge deck pavements, the bonding between steel and asphalt overlay has long been a troublesome issue. In this paper, a novel composite bonding structure was introduced consisting of epoxy resin micaceous iron oxide (EMIO) primer, solvent-free epoxy resin waterproof layer, and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) hot melt pellets. A series of strength tests were performed to study its mechanical properties, including pull-off strength tests, dumbbell tensile tests, lap shear tests, direct tension tests, and 45°-inclined shear tests. The results suggested that the bonding structure exhibited fair bonding strength, tensile strength, and shear strength. Anisotropic behaviour was also observed at high temperatures. For epoxy resin waterproof layer, the loss of bonding strength, tensile strength, and shear strength at 60°C was 70%, 35%, and 39%, respectively. Subsequent pavement performance-oriented tests included five-point bending tests and accelerated wheel tracking tests. The impacts of bonding on fatigue resistance and rutting propagation were studied. It was found that the proposed bonding structure could provide a durable and well-bonded interface and was thus beneficial to prolong the fatigue lives of asphalt overlay. The choice of bonding materials was found irrelevant to the ultimate rutting depth of pavements. But the bonding combination of epoxy resin waterproof and EVA pellets could delay the early-stage rutting propagation.
Highlights
Steel bridge has been playing an important role in civil engineering since the late 19th century
Two solutions were soon proposed by engineers from north American and Europe, which were known as epoxy asphalt mixture [3, 4] and mastic asphalt mixture [5], respectively
Among all the factors influencing the durability of SBDP, it seemed that the bonding between steel plate and asphalt overlay was the most controllable part. e importance of bonding has been recognized by engineers and researchers for a long time
Summary
Steel bridge has been playing an important role in civil engineering since the late 19th century. After World War II, an orthotropic system was developed by German engineers driven by the shortage of steel Bridge decks in this form could possess different stiffness in longitudinal and transverse directions [1], allowing extremely minimized thickness. Yin et al [11] studied the cracking mechanism of epoxy asphalt and recommended epoxy resin-sealing material for SBDP repairing. Among all the factors influencing the durability of SBDP, it seemed that the bonding between steel plate and asphalt overlay was the most controllable part. Compared with traditional bonding solutions, the following advantageous features made this novel structure a promising candidate to solve the bonding issue: (a) EMIO was used as the primer of steel plate, which could provide fair anticorrosion protection as well as mechanical performance. EVA pellets were placed on top of the waterproof layer to further enhance the bonding. e pellets would melt during the construction period of HMA and form a strong interface. (c) e use of solvent-free epoxy resin was believed to be environmental-friendly compared with traditional waterproof materials
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
