Assessment of effective patching material for concrete bridge deck -A review

Abstract

Concrete bridge decks are deteriorating over time due to the inadequacy of design detailing, construction and quality of maintenance work, chemical attacks, environmental effects, and abnormal floods and erosion. At present, many effective methods in preventing further deterioration is using rapid-setting patching materials along the deck. However, more research is needed for investigating the effectiveness of other types of patching materials and potential benefits or disadvantages of utilizing these products. Therefore, it is very difficult, in many cases, for DOT engineers to select the most cost-effective patching material under complex conditions. Hence, it is necessary to investigate various patching materials on the market and develop the proper guidance to bridge the gap for the engineers. In this comprehensive literature review, the types of deterioration along concrete bridge decks as well as deterioration mechanisms are introduced firstly. And then, the types and selection criteria for patching materials are summarized. Meanwhile, the influence factors of compatibility and evaluation methods as well as results are discussed. Moreover, the most common and effective patching techniques are presented. Current review concluded that most patching failures occurred in early stage are resulted from a range of factors such as inappropriate selection of repair materials, insufficient understanding on the compatibility of patching materials with substrate concrete, and the poor installation techniques. In addition, Portland cement-based patching materials could provide optimal bond at temperatures around 68°F while certain polymer concretes provided good bond performance over a wide range of temperatures.