Specifications include, but are not limited to: Corrosion protection of steel bridges is one of the crucial decisions to be made during design because it will ultimately affect the life-cycle cost due to various maintenance actions throughout the life of the bridge. However, the various protection schemes of zinc coatings (i.e., galvanizing, metalizing, and zinc primers) all have variable lifespans, which are challenging to predict, based on the macro- and micro-environments of a bridge. In marine and heavy industrial locations, even the best 3-coat, zinc-rich paint, or galvanizing can break down and require maintenance every 25 to 30 years. With a push to increase service lives of bridges to 100 years and beyond, in severe environments, between two and five substantial maintenance actions could be required to attain the design lives. Many attempts have been made through research to develop more corrosion resistant alloys (i.e., weathering steels) or coatings for bridge applications. However, historical performance has shown that despite these attempts, areas beneath joints and/or in severe environments still result in corrosion of the steel and require ongoing maintenance. The objectives of this research project are to develop: (1) proposed AASHTO LRFD design guidelines for stainless steel girders for full-length girder bridges and end sections of A709 steel girders; and (2) guidelines for stainless steel superstructure fabrication.
