The importance of waterproofing bridges
The importance of bridge deck waterproofing cannot be overstated.
Following the Genoa bridge disaster in August 2018, which claimed the lives of 43 people, the French Senate commissioned an immediate survey of the state of France’s bridges. The report, made available to AFP, the French news agency, states that “At least 25,000 bridges are in a bad structural state and pose security problems.” Another survey carried out in 2019, by two private consultancies for the Ministry of Transport of France, uncovered that more than 800 road bridges in France, a third of those maintained by the state, were “at risk of collapsing” within a few years if they were not reinforced.
In the USA, an analysis of federal data by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association revealed that nearly 235,000 bridges, almost 38% of all U.S. bridges, need either repair, replacement, or major rehabilitation. This could easily have been avoided with proper concrete protection of the bridge. The total cost of repairs should easily exceed two billion US dollars!
However, many bridge designers choose not to waterproof bridges, and this decision may lead to unfathomable repair costs and to incidents leading to fatalities .
It is for this reason that bridge deck waterproofing is critically important – not to waterproof it per se but to protect the concrete from corrosion and degradation.
The failure to do so for short-term cost savings has led to numerous bridge collapses around the world.
Corrosion of bridges
Chloride-induced corrosion is caused by the ingress of chlorides through the cover concrete, particularly in splash and tidal zones, on bridges, decks, and other exposed concrete structures. It is for this reason that corrosion protection and waterproofing are critical. To see how CWS100 can protect the structure from corrosion quickly, economically, and permanently, please click here.
CWS100 waterproofing and corrosion protection for bridges
As well as its ability to waterproof concrete and its 2.2 mm crack-sealing capability, CWS100 protects the structures it is sprayed on by forming a barrier in the top 10-20 mm of the concrete. It remains active within the structure to ensure its durability and seal future cracks (with most design mixes).
When sprayed onto finished concrete, CWS100® permeates the surface and forms a gel within the concrete itself. This gel protects the concrete from the ingress of chlorides and other detrimental substances that will eventually – and inevitably – harm the structure. This chloride arrest ultimately increases the lifespan of the structure by preventing corrosion to the steel and carbonation of the concrete while maintaining the steel-concrete bond.
Additionally, CWS100® increases the hardness of the concrete from six up to nine on the Mohs scale—harder than granite. The increased hardness, along with the impenetrable gel inside the concrete, not only prevents the ingress of salts and acids but also makes it ideal for areas that are subject to high loads, such as cars, trucks, and buses, further protecting the bridge from corrosion and degradation.
CWS100 has been used to protect bridges in a number of countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas:
Nichols Interchange Flyover
Curepe Interchange
Rail Bridge A
Tainionkoski Bridge
MR36 Interchange
Available to Contractors and applicators by an international distribution network, CWS100® provides an ideal solution to ensure the waterproofing of concrete structures, especially those exposed to thermal stress such as bridges and similar structures.