Bridge steel coatings tolerant of minimal surface preparation (FHWA-OK-96-08)

Abstract

In 1993 and 1994, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated regulations that radically altered practices in the paint industry. Many of these measures apply to lead abatement, practices devised to eradicate lead-based paint hazards. These changes in legislation are designed to promote domestic, worker and environmental safety. The organizations that must implement these changes are finding that complying with the new rules are complicated and extremely expensive. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) selected seven bridges to overcoat with coating systems that meet the new standards for evaluation. The systems selected require niinimal surface preparation, that is, removal of loose debris and dirt instead of the removal of an existing paint system on the steel beams, prior to application. Research, Development and Technology Transfer of ODOT monitored the application of several different paints to these bridges. An eighth bridge was cleaned using an abrasive cleaning method then coated with a lead-based paint that no longer meets the new regulations; this will be the control bridge for this study. This construction report presents the observations and application procedures of these coating systems to the above mentioned bridges with emphasis on compatibility testing, SSPC SP2, SSPC SP3 and SSPC SP6 standard cleaning methods, construction procedures, and cost analysis.