Spring 2021 | Vol. 3 | No. 1 Sunlight’s Effects on Fusion-Bonded Epoxy Coated Steel Rebar I By Sammy Miles ntroduced in the United States in the 1970s, fusion-bonded epoxy (FBE) coatings have been used to coat steel rebar in reinforced concrete structures. FBE coatings prevent moisture, oxygen, and chlorides from entering the steel from the surrounding concrete, de-laying the onset of corrosion. However, FBE coatings have been banned in countries around the world, with many agencies in United States, Canada, and Europe no longer allowing them in concrete construction. Due to manufactur-ing defects such as holidays and pinholes, along with scratching and cracking of the epoxy coating during transportation and on-site storage, the integrity of FBE-coated steel rebar has been questioned. In fact, five of the approximately 300 bridges built using epoxy-coated rebar in Florida, USA, began corroding prematurely, which has been in part attributed to open storage of the coated steel at construction sites. 1 Despite this, several countries are still using them, including India, China, Japan, Germany, and some parts of the United States. While ASTM A775, “Standard Specifi -cation for Epoxy-Coated Steel Reinforcing Bars,” states that epoxy-coated steel should be covered if it will be stored outdoors longer than two months, researchers Deepak K. Kamde and Radhakrishna G. Pillai with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India, believe that time needs to be 12 13 14 16 16 18 19 Sunlight’s Effects on Fusion-Bonded Epoxy Coated Steel Rebar ………………………… 1 Case Studies in Infrastructure Coatings Failures …………………………………………………… 2 View from the Hill: Corrosion Prevention and Infrastructure Legislation …………… 3 The Current State of Lightning Immunity in Pipelines: Using Remote Monitoring for Evaluation in a Flash ……………………………………………………………………… 4 Spring Outage Sprint for Power Plant Clarifiers …………………………………………………… 6 San Antonio, Texas Launches Its Largest Sanitary Sewer Improvement Project …… 8 Grist Mill Bridge Opens with New Composite Beams System ………………………… 10 Lasers Remove Corrosion, Coatings from Metallic Components ……………………… New Composite Flexible Pipe for Onshore Pipelines ………………………………………… Modeling Helps Reduce Corrosion in Refineries ………………………………………………… New Regulator Established to Ensure Construction Material Safety ………………… NACE & SSPC Infrastructure Education Course Schedule ………………………………… NACE & SSPC Infrastructure Guides, Technical Reports, and Standards ………… NACE & SSPC Infrastructure Books ………………………………………………………………………
Infrastructure Insights Spring 2021: Page 1
