Fusion-bonded epoxy-coated rebars in place for a 6-inch composite structural slab.

The completed parking deck will serve the office building in the background.

Fusion-bonded epoxy-coated rebars

Tackling the reinforcing-steel corrosion problem: prevention versus repair
mong the most promising methods of combating steel rebar corrosion in concrete parking decks bridge decks and other areas is the use of fusion-bonded epoxy-coated rebars in new construction and in repair. The chief danger to uncoated steel bars in northern and coastal states is from corrosion that occurs after calcium chloride or sodium chloride seeps into the concrete. The sources of these chlorides are deicers or seawater spray. Many concrete parking ramps and bridge decks constructed as recently as 5 to 10 years ago are d e t e ri o rating to the point where major repair or replacement is already necessary. The problem results in millions of dollars worth of damage each year.

Combating corrosion
The use of a fusion-bonded epoxy coating on rebars is considered by many engineers to be among the most effective techniques for combating corrosion though it has been in use for only a few years. Other approaches some used in conjunction with epoxy coating have met with varying degrees of success. These include membrane coverings of bridge decks and parking ramps, latex concrete overlays, corrosion inhibiting admixtures, polymer impregnation, use of galvanized rebars, cathodic protection of rebars, and the Iowa method of bonding a dense, low-slump concrete to the base. All these have the purpose of (1) keeping chloride-bearing water from seeping down through the concrete to the rebars or (2) preventing chloride-bearing water in the concrete from touching the reinforcing bars. Costs tend to vary widely. Those of such techniques as polymer impregnation and use of galvanized rebars fall on the high side. Use of epoxy-coated rebars is usually priced considerably lower. The rate of deterioration of a concrete deck due to corroding steel increases with time. As the rebars corrode, the iron oxide which forms causes an expansion in volume of up to 20 times that of the original volume of the portion of the bar that has corroded. The inevitable result is immense pressure between the bars and the surrounding concrete, which causes the all-too-familiar

Coated rebars are tied with plasticcoated wire to ensure stability during concrete placement.

The flexibility of the fusion-bonded epoxy coating must be sufficient to prevent cracks and breaks from occurring in the coating during fabrication bending.

cracking and spalling. The resulting disruption of the surface and the loss of large pieces of concrete, in turn, mean greater vulnerability to waterborne chlorides, which leads to more spalling. Two parking deck projects in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areaone involving new construction and the other repairoffer a dramatic contrast between the cost of p re venting rebar corrosion during new construction, and the cost of repair of an existing structure already damaged by corrosion.

Fusion-bonded rebars in new construction

A new parking deck constructed at Parkdale Plaza in St. Louis Park (suburban Minneapolis) consists of a structural deck and a ground-level slab within an area that measures approximately 215 by 240 feet. The castin-place upper deck, supported by steel framing, is divided into quarters with good slope for drainage. The parking structure is designed to accommodate 136 cars

on the upper deck and 140 in the lower section. A low-slump mix was used with a high cement content (588 pounds per cubic yard).2 Special care was taken in selecting the aggregate. The mix contained 6 to 8 percent air, and a retarder was used to delay set over steel beams to eliminate minor cracking. The concrete was placed by pump, enabling the crew on one occasion to install 12,500 square feet in a single day. After curing, a minimum of two coats of sealer was applied. Central to the design was the use of rebars with a fusion-bonded epoxy coating. The 6-inch-thick composite deck slab allowed use of 2 inches of concrete cover over both top and bottom bars, compared with the 3/4 inch of cover often used on earlier parking decks. According to the supplier of the coated rebars, the epoxy coating on projects of this type costs approximately $300 to $350 per ton over the cost of uncoated steel rebars. Number 4 bars were used in the Pa rk d a l e Plaza deck. Assuming a rebar weight of approximately

Pumping concrete on the Parkdale Plaza parking deck.

212 pounds per square foot and a concrete area of 51,360 square feet, the weight of rebars used in the deck could be calculated at a little over 64.2 tonsil For purposes of this example, if the cost of coated rebars were calculated at $860 per ton, and the cost of uncoated rebars at $540 per ton, then the cost differential for the epoxy coating would be about 40 cents per square foot or $20,544 for the entire deckapproximately 3.6 percent of the total cost. By contrast, Conservative estimates of replacement Costs range from $13 to $15 per square foot, which is many times the estimated cost of using the coated re-

bars initially. Various studies, moreover, have shown that use of the epoxy coating can greatly increase the effective lifespan of such structures.

Fusion-bonded rebars for repair

A project undertaken by a St. Paul retail outlet involves the ramps of two side-by-side parking structures which have suffered extensive spalling and other deterioration. The structuresone of approximately 10,000 square feet and the other approximately 7000 square feet were constructed with uncoated rebars. Subsequently both were subjected to calcium chloride attack from auseminars are open to contractors, engineers, designers and others in the industry without charge, providing they preregister. The association is preparing standard specifications that should be available soon. The American Society for Testing and Materials is also pre p a ri n g standard specifications. The Ohio Department of Transportation has published proposed specifications for epoxy coated rebars that include such items as coating materials, surface preparation, thicknesses, curing, fabrication provisions, handling requirements, placement, field-coating touchup, measurement and basis of payment. Copies of the Ohio document, Epoxy Coated Reinforcing Steel, Proposal Note Number 112, December 4, 1978, are available from Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute 180 North LaSalle Street, Room 2110 Chicago, Illinois 60601 Phone: 312-372-5059 The Kentucky Highway department now requires all new bridge decks to be built with epoxy-coated rebars.

Fusion-Bonded rebars: Update

Fusion-bonded epoxy coatings for rebars are not applied on the job. Instead, the bars are coated in a strictly controlled factory process where epoxy powders are fusion-bonded to the steel surface after the steel has been shotblasted. The National Bureau of Standards found that such coatings should be about 0.005 to 0.009 inch thick for adequate protection against chloride attack and adequate flexibility during bending. The coated bars are bundled together with nylon rope to minimize damage from rough handling during shipping and storage. There is a trade association of 20 companies that manufacture epoxy powders or fabricate coated rebars and supply them throughout the United States and Canada: Fusion Bonded Coaters Association 25 Glen Head Road Glen Head, New York 11545 Phone: 516- 676-7811 The association presents a technical seminar on the first day of each semiannual meeting. These

Major spalling on the bottom of a ramp in a St. Paul parking facility that was later repaired.

Epoxy-coated rebars in place on rebuilt ramp.

Entire floors were removed and replaced with fusion-bonded epoxy-coated rebars and new concrete.

placement remains effective long into the future and that spatting does not again become a problem, the architect/engineer specified epoxy-coated rebars and extreme care was taken in the project to ensure that all standards pertaining to the concrete constructionthe mix, the aggregates, air entrainment and other factors were strictly adhered to.
Credits: Owner of Parkdale Plaza: MEPC Properties Inc., St. Louis Park, Minnesota Architects: Baker Associates Inc., Minneapolis Engineers: Clark Engineering, Minneapolis Contractors: Acton Construction Company, Hugo, Minnesota Coated rebar supplier: Simcote Inc., Newport, Minnesota Powdered epoxy supplier: 3M, St. Paul, Minnesota

tomobile-borne deicing salts and the ramps required periodic maintenance and repair during their first 16 years of life. Finally, a repair project that may well cost in excess of $100,000 was undertaken on the 7000-squarefoot structure. In all probability, similar work will have to be done on the larger structure. In this most recent repair-replacement project, half of the 7000-square-foot ramp was replaced, while the other half was repaired with an overlay, since it was originally constructed over the store and could not be removed without serious disruption of business. A major dilemma facing the owners of the parking facility involved repair versus replacement. Both prospects represented a major expense. To ensure that concrete re-

PUBLICATION #C800587
Copyright 1980, The Aberdeen Group All rights reserved