Galvan Industries, Inc. has been chosen to provide corrosion protection for reinforcing steel used in a major highway project that will transform the intersection of Interstates 85 and 385 in Greenville County, South Carolina, helping alleviate traffic congestion through the area for years to come.
The 85-385 GATEWAY Project’s scope involves creating a new interchange within the general footprint of the current interchange. It is a project that will include a total of ten new bridge structures, two of which will be flyovers, rehabilitation of two existing bridge structures, and modifications to the substructure of one existing bridge.
Galvan will provide hot-dip galvanizing rust prevention for the reinforcing steel in the bridge decks. Construction on the project is ongoing will continue until 2020.
The Right Rust-Proofing Matters
Corrosion of reinforcing steel is a destructive force in concrete structures. The corrosion products of steel have over three times the volume of the original steel
and exert tremendous tensile stress on the surrounding concrete. The result is spalling, or cracking, which damages the structure, shortening its life.
Epoxy coated rebar is not a cost effective corrosion protection system for bridge decking. In fact, the Virginia Transport Research Council in January 1997 stated “For 95% of bridge decks the epoxy coating will debond from the steel …and therefore provides no additional service life.”
Superior Protection, Lower Life Cycle Cost
Unlike painting and epoxy which are solely barrier-type coatings, galvanizing provides both barrier and sacrificial protection to the underlying steel. Galvanized zinc coatings form an impervious metallic zinc barrier around the steel to isolate the steel surface from the surrounding concrete, preventing damage from rust.
When the costs and consequences of corrosion damage to a reinforced concrete structure are analyzed, the cost of galvanizing is a very small investment with a large return in project life
About Galvan Industries, Inc.
Since 1958, Galvan Industries has provided the ultimate in corrosion control to steel fabricators and manufacturers. The first hot-dip galvanizing operation in the Carolinas, the company has grown to become the largest capacity contract galvanizer in the Southeast.
For details, or to place an order, call Galvan Industries at (704) 455-5102, Fax (704) 455-5215; e-mail: sales@galvan-ize.com.
