Investigation on the adhesive characteristics of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) to steel bridge deck

Abstract

As a common form of deterioration, the interfacial de-bonding between the steel bridge deck and pavement layers significantly affects the operation of steel bridges. This study proposed a medium early-strength Engineered Cementitious Composites (MES-ECC) with high ductility as the steel bridge deck pavement material. The adhesive characteristics of MES-ECC to steel deck/stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixture with epoxy resin and to steel plate with cotters were investigated via shear test and push-out test, respectively. Additionally, the theoretical shear stress of MES-ECC/steel deck under quasi-static loading was analyzed using finite element method (FEM). Tested material performance results show that the MES-ECC possesses high ductility, meanwhile, the compressive and flexural strength of the MES-ECC at 3 days can reach 26 and 8 MPa, respectively, allowing the steel bridge to open traffic earlier, thus shorten the construction period. Considering the avoidance of slipping of interlayers between MES-ECC and steel deck/SMA layer at different temperature exposures, the optimal epoxy resin dosage for interlayers of MES-ECC/steel plate and MES-ECC/SMA obtained from shear tests is 0.4 and 0.6 L/m2, respectively. The push-out test shows that the MES-ECC exhibits superior interaction effects with cotter in steel plate with higher ultimate push load and deformation in comparison with normal concrete and mortar. Finally, the results of FEM analysis indicate that the interfacial bonding mentioned in this study can satisfy the theoretical requirements of steel bridge deck pavement under quasi-static loading.