Computer Modeling and Analysis of Truck Generated Salt-Spray Transport Near Bridges

Technical Report · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1087817· OSTI ID:1087817

Lottes, S. A. ^[1]; Bojanowski, C. ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Bridge painting is very expensive. Over the lifetime of a bridge, painting to protect the steel from the elements can cost a large fraction of the original construction cost. In addition to monetary costs, maintenance workers face health risks if strict procedures are not in place to avoid exposure to hazardous dust when old paint is removed and the fumes of hazardous chemicals when new paint is applied. Use of weathering steel in bridge construction avoids the large cost of periodic painting and the hazards of paint removal and repainting because this type of steel is never painted. When exposed to weather, the initial corrosion of weathering steel forms a natural corrosion resistant layer that prevents further corrosion under a wide variety of conditions. Given the advantages of using weathering steel, the choice might appear to be obvious. However, the large potential savings in bridge maintenance costs in using weathering steel are not always realized because the protective patina layer fails to adhere when the steel is exposed to excessively salt-laden and moisture-laden environments. A multi-year study is underway by the FHWA to better quantify the conditions that lead to excessive corrosion in weathering steel bridges. This report documents work using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to study the conditions and mechanisms that lead from the salt spray thrown from truck tires to salt water droplets reaching bridge girders. Computer simulations use the advanced motion modeling capability called a “sliding mesh” in the CFD software to move one or more large trucks under bridges at 60 mph. The computations include multiphase spray droplet tracking of salt-laden water droplets coming off the tires.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Transportation; USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1087817
• Report Number(s): ANL/ESD/13--1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH