QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING BITUMINOUS WATERPROOFING LAYERS AND PAVEMENTS ON CONCRETE BRIDGE DECKS --BITUMEN, FLEXIBLE AND DURABLE. 3RD EUROBITUME SYMPOSIUM 1985, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, SEPTEMBER 11-13, 1985

During the past decades an efficient road network that included the construction of engineering structures was developed all over Europe. The waterproofing layers and bridge deck surfacings, having been laid on concrete bridge decks, have an average service life of 10-15 years. This report discusses the major stresses which bridge deck pavements must withstand; one example of a typical kind of damage is shown. General requirements for waterproofing layers and for hot mixes applied to bridge deck surfacings are discussed. Attention is drawn to the Austrian specifications having been laid down for the application of waterproofing layers and for hot mixes being used for bridge deck pavements. Due to higher stresses that bridge surfacings have to endure and on the basis of several analyses of failures of bridge deck pavements, extended quality control has been set up. This quality control takes place before, during and after the application of the waterproofing layer. The testing procedure includes the determination of the strength of the surface of the concrete deck and the testing of the bonding tensile strength between the bridge and the waterproofing layer. The surface strength of bridge decks has been measured and the data shows a distinct relationship with the surface method used. The bonding tensile strengths between the waterproofing layer and the concrete bridge deck depend entirely on the materials used. Waterproofing layers consisting of prefabricated bituminous felts show rather low bonding tensile strengths in contrast to resins which are used in some cases. The ideas and results introduced in this paper may give some incentive to look in greater depth into the interference between the surface conditions of the bridge decks, the materials being used for the waterproofing layers and the level of workmanship that can be achieved. The service range of the pavement may be extended considerably by choosing suitable materials and by increased control of the quality before, during and after application of the waterproofing layers and of the bridge surfacings.(a) for the covering abstract of the symposium see IRRD 815173.