Bridge Deck Research at The University of Tennessee: A Summary Thesis

Currently, there has been no compilation of all the research the University of Tennessee has completed on chloride ion penetration in concrete bridge decks. The following thesis is a brief summary of the work that has been completed under Dr. Edwin Burdette’s direction over the last six years along with some additional literature review. The testing consisted of Surface Resistivity and Rapid Chloride Ion Penetration testing. This testing showed that there is, in fact a correlation between the two test methods, though SR testing is much easier to conduct. Considerable testing was completed on bridge decks throughout the state of Tennessee, showing that chloride ion penetration is moderately high in bridge decks across the state. It was found that using supplementary cementitious materials such as ground granulated blast furnace slag along with fly ash was beneficial to the SR and RCP results. Testing was also completed on lightweight aggregate concrete bridge decks which indicated that lightweight aggregate concrete can resist chloride ion penetration at about the same levels as normal weight concrete.