Impact of Heavy Vehicles on the Durability of Concrete Bridge Decks

Abstract

Overweight vehicles may cause permanent damage to bridge superstructures and thus require a permit to operate and route planning based on bridge capacity. This study explores the possible damage of such overweight vehicles to concrete bridge decks. Concrete cylinders in this study were subjected to compressive stresses, equivalent to 40 to 80 percent of the measured strength of concrete, followed by 300 freeze–thaw cycles to simulate field conditions. The effects of combined loading and the freeze–thaw cycles were evaluated using rapid chloride ion penetration tests of samples sliced from the cylinders. The test results indicated that the chloride ingress in deck concrete can be affected by heavy trucks.