LINSEED OIL RETREATMENTS TO CONTROL SURFACE DETERIORATION OF CONCRETE BRIDGE DECKS

THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF, THE OPTIMUM CYCLE FOR, AND THE OPTIMUM RATE OF APPLICATION FOR LINSEED OIL RETREATMENTS OF CONCRETE BRIDGE DECKS TO CONTROL SURFACE SCALING. A TOTAL OF 141 BRIDGE DECKS WHICH WERE NEW, FIVE YEARS OLD, OR TEN YEARS OLD WHEN TREATED INITIALLY WERE RETREATED AT INTERVALS OF TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE OR SIX YEARS. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY INDICATE THAT SCALING OF BRIDGE DECKS IS NOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN ILLINOIS, NEW BRIDGE DECKS ARE MORE RECEPTIVE TO THE BENEFITS OF LINSEED OIL TREATMENTS THAN ARE OLDER ONES, AND THE OPTIMUM INTERVAL BETWEEN LINSEED OIL TREATMENT IS APPROXIMATELY FOUR YEARS UNDER CONDITIONS PREVAILING IN ILLINOIS. /FHWA/