Corrosion and Fatigue Resistance Study of Aluminum Bridge Deck

Thousands of bridges on which the U.S. transportation system depends are in need of repair or replacement. Engineers are continually looking for materials that can significantly extend the lives of these structures. The use of lightweight materials such as aluminum could often avoid the cost of the replacement of the sound foundations and steel girders of bridges listed as structurally deficient. However, bridge engineers have not considered aluminum for use as a bridge material because of a lack of information on the in-service performance of existing aluminum bridges and a lack of knowledge about the metal's lower life-cycle costs compared with those of traditional materials. The reconfiguration of the Smithfield Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh from a mass transit–highway bridge to a highway-traffic bridge presented an opportunity for Reynolds Metals Company to analyze the corrosion and fatigue performance of the almost 30-year-old deck and the more than 60-year-old cross members. The results of the study indicate that aluminum is a viable material for bridge decks when it is properly designed into the application.