Examination of self-compacting concrete options for marine bridge applications

This paper presents details of the 2007 novel repair of a RC marine bridge that involved removal of concrete cover on each of the bridge's seven crosshead beams and subsequent replacement of the cover with one of five different self-compacting concrete (SCC) options. Details of an on-site research initiative of this kind have not been published in the literature to date. It is anticipated that in time the bridge will yield valuable information relating to the marine durability of different SCC options. However, in the short term, there is a recognized need for data relating to the marine durability of SCC, a concrete technology that is becoming increasingly popular in bridge construction. To this end, this paper also presents details and results of a laboratory-based study aimed at investigating the marine durability of the five Ferrycarrig Bridge SCC options. The results of the laboratory study are also used, together with real marine bridge data, to make tentative predictions as to the time to corrosion initiation in the Ferrycarrig Bridge crosshead beams.