MICROGRADED POLYMER CONCRETE COATING SYSTEM FOR STEEL BRIDGES

POLYMER CONCRETE IS A RELATIVELY NEW COMPOSITE MATERIAL THATIS ALREADY FINDING INCREASING APPLICATION IN A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS RANGING FROM SIMPLE, UNDERGROUND UTILITY BOXES TO SOPHISTICATED MACHINE TOOL BASES AND HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL INSULATORS. IN THE HIGHWAY FIELD, POLYMER CONCRETE HAS FOUND USE AS PROTECTIVE OVERLAYS, REPAIR MATERIALS, SIGNAL/SAFETY SYSTEMS (FOR EXAMPLE, MARKERS), ETC. HOWEVER, IN ALL THESE APPLICATIONS, POLYMER CONCRETE HAS BEEN USED AS A BULK, CASTABLE MATERIAL, INVOLVING COARSE AGGREGATES AND FILLERS. IN THIS PROJECT, IT IS PROPOSED TO DESIGN POLYMER CONCRETE MIXES UTILIZING MICROGRADING CONCEPTS, SPECIAL SILICEOUS AND OTHER FILLERS, DIELECTRIC FIBERS AND RESIN SYSTEMS WHICH ARE HIGHLY CORROSION RESISTANT BUT ARE ECONOMICALLY ATTRACTIVE. THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A FORMULATION BASED ON SUCH A CONCEPT WILL BE EXAMINED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SPRAYING THE MATERIAL ON EXISTING STEEL STRUCTURES IN THE FIELD AND ALSO ON MODULAR STEEL ELEMENTS IN THE FACTORY.