Fusion-Bonded Epoxy Coatings
Fusion-bonded
epoxy coatings were first introduced as the
answer to protecting reinforcing steel from
corrosion in the 1970s. Their good
performance in laboratory tests proved to
its supporters that it could add numerous
years of life to bridges. However,
their actual performance is yet to be
determined. After only 35 years of
use, concrete bridge decks that use
epoxy-coated reinforcement are only now
beginning to accumulate chloride levels
necessary to initiate corrosion of embedded
steel. Some states are beginning to
lose confidence in epoxy coatings ability to
provide increased corrosion protection over
that of bare steel and have begun investing
money in researching alternatives.
View recently produced
reports that document epoxy-coatings
performance
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