RAPID MEASUREMENT OF CONCRETE COVER ON BRIDGE DECKS

Premature deterioration of concrete bridge decks due to corrosion of the reinforcing steel is a serious problem. Corrosive agents, such as water and deicing salts, are principal contributing factors to this problem. Evaluation tools for testing concrete bridge decks and for determining the effectiveness of bridge deck protective systems are currently being studied by the Federal Highway Administration. One of these studies involves the development of a rolling Pachometer that can be used for nondestructive determination of the cover over the reinforcing steel on concrete bridge decks. This unit is an effective tool for both inspection and quality control. The Rolling Pachometer has proved to be accurate, reliable, and capable of gathering data at a rate 20 times that of conventional, hand-held methods.