Water Accumulation and Behavior of Surfactant Associated with Moisture Permeation in Bituminous Pavement on Concrete Deck Bridge

Abstract

Water-related damage is one of the major problems for the durability of the bituminous pavement and concrete slabs of concrete deck bridges. In particular, damage can be drastically accelerated by the intervention of water and some chemicals such as surfactants and salts. Therefore, the mass transfer mechanism of water and the mechanism of chemical absorption in pavement materials are important to study. The authors previously pointed out that water storage in bituminous pavement layers is caused by moisture vapor in the air, and developed a new moisture permeation test apparatus to analyze the mass transfer. Based on this test method, the present study showed experimentally that water and surfactant accumulate in the bridge deck pavement and concrete slabs. Water accumulation in the pavement and deck slabs increases according to the daily climatic fluctuation. The repetitive moisture permeation test showed that alkylphenol-ethoxylate type surfactant applied on the top surface permeates through water-impermeable pavement layers and accumulates in the concrete slab

Identification of the sources of organic compounds that decalcify cement concrete and generate alcohols and ammonia gases

“…(1) Determination of emission sources of organic matter suggested that cement concrete absorbs airborne organic matter together with moisture as it "breathes" like animals and plants when the time difference between surface and bottom temperature exists [9]. The components of organic matter detected in TSM were the same as those in the tire samples and DEP, except for DOP, which was detected only in the tire.…”

“…The aspiration phenomena of cement concrete was examined in laboratory. The anion type surfactant on the surface of asphalt pavement on concrete bridge (asphalt layer: 4 cm + 4 cm, cement concrete: 4 cm) easily penetrated into the cement concrete of bottom layer, under the time difference of temperature change of pavement surface and bottom of cement concrete, and decalcified the cement concrete [9].…”

Deterioration of modern concrete structures and asphalt pavements by respiratory action and trace quantities of organic matter

“…This result suggests that trace quantities of organic matter (TQOM; phthalates, SPNES, amine compounds, and hydrocarbon) in the air are absorbed in concrete structures by the concrete respiratory action. It was reported in the results of the concrete slab damaged by small concentrations (1.6 g) of SPNES on the surface of the asphalt pavement in the core sample of a new concrete bridge using repeated transient moisture permeation tests (46 times: it corresponds to 46 days) reported in section 3.11 [ 15 ]).…”

Damage to cement concrete pavements due to exposure to organic compounds in a cold region

“…Based on this it was decided, to use polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether sodium sulfate, an anion surfactant, in the immersion experiments, as this would cause the elution of the calcium in the cement concrete, which would turn the solution cloudy, showing when calcium salts were generated [17] and [20].…”