Discussion on Papers 12–14

Mr M. B. Leeming, Arup Research and Development

Bridges in the UK, the USA and Germany all seem to be suffering from problems similar to those described in Paper

12. What were the reasons for the choice of the epoxy coatingapplied to the beams of the jetty after repair? At present there is little information on how to judge the effectiveness of a coating in stopping the ingress of chlorides into concrete. Arup Research and Development is carrying out a research project on this subject on behalf of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory. A preliminary survey has identified over 50 systems considered by the suppliers to be effective. Some of these are considered to be more effective than others, and the present work is directed at identifyingthe requirements necessary for the successful treatment of the surfaces of concrete to inhibit the ingress of deicing salts.