Long-term durability of Danish bridges in marine environment

Microscopy investigations have been carried out on concrete samples taken from a series of Danish coast bridges with the purpose of studying the effects of long-term exposure of concrete structures to a marine environment. The following bridges were included in the investigations (Danish names are given in brackets):

  • Vejle Fjord Bridge (Vejlefjordbroen)
  • Alssund Bridge (Alssundbroen)
  • Farø Bridges (Farøbroerne)
  • Storstrøm Bridge (Storstrømsbroen)
  • Øresund Bridges (Øresundsbroen)
  • Vilsund Bridge (Vilsundbroen)
  • Oddesund Bridge (Oddesundbroen)
  • Hadsund Bridge (Hadsundbroen)

 

Datasheets with microscopy results 

Results from the microscopy investigations have been collected in datasheets containing data obtained by optical microscopy, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy:

Danish bridges - Microscopy investigations

 

Chloride ingress in old Danish bridges 

The ingress of chloride in three Danish coast bridges (Vejle Fjord Bridge, Alssund Bridge and the Farø Bridges) has also been studied by means of chloride profiles measured on concrete cores from submerged conditions. The sample materials represent three different concrete types and exposure times ranging from 30 to 34 years. A paper with results from these investigations is currently under preparation, but preliminary results can be found in the presentation below:

Long-term durability of concrete in marine environment - Presentation from meeting with the referencegroup on November 30, 2012