The infuence of temperature on the performance of waterproofing materials applied to orthotropic steel bridge deck pavement

Abstract

Paper presented at the 26th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 9 - 12 July 2007 "The challenges of implementing policy?", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. ABSTRACT: This paper is aimed at the service performance of waterproofing materials used in orthotropic steel bridge deck pavement, and studies the influence of temperature on the performance of waterproof and adhesive layers, which consisted of Bostik 9225 type adhesive primer, and rubber modified mastic. The different technical indices of the waterproofing system are discussed, such as cohesive strength, interface adhesive strength and shear strength. The relationships between the different indices and temperatures were investigated. By applying the finite element method and the material parameters obtained from experiments, the shear behaviour of the materials was modelled numerically. When comparing the results of the laboratory tests and the FEM model, the error possibility, especially under high temperature, was found to be comparatively small, which means that the effectiveness of prediction seems satisfactory and the simulation and prediction of the shear strength by FEM are reasonable and effective. It is also meaningful to use the numerical method as a substitute for the field test from a cost point of view.