Warranting Quality of Steel Bridge Coating

Abstract

Civil infrastructure systems, particularly the highway and bridge systems, have become a focal point of attention both nationally and among researchers. Because many of the nation's bridges have been identified by the Federal Highway Administration as deficient, more attention needs to be given to the quality of bridge coatings, which act as inhibitors of bridge deterioration. This paper represents an extended study by the authors to establish and implement contract warranties for steel bridge coatings. First, the earlier activities in warranting the quality of bridge coatings are reviewed. Next, the writers focus on the basic categories of a steel bridge coating warranty, especially the warranty period and defects for which the contractor is held responsible. The paper further illustrates the functioning of a hybrid model for nondestructive quality assessment of steel bridge coatings. The model provides objective and quantitative analysis to improve the coating quality assessment process. This approach prevents potential conflicts that might arise between the state Department of Transportation and the bridge-coating contractors during the warranty implementation.