Bridges

Inorganic zinc silicate coatings have been an attractive coating for steel bridges due their excellent long-term corrosion protection extending for up to 40 years. The re-coating of inorganic zinc silicate coatings has been regarded as a difficult process, due to the strict steel surface preparation requirements. In order to establish cost effective re-coating treatments for inorganic zinc silicate, a field trial was conducted by VicRoads, which involved the treatment of a sample of bridge girders using several simple surface preparations and the application of different types of zinc-rich coatings. The effects of both surface preparation method and coating system type were evaluated.