ABSTRACT
The deterioration of bridge decks as a result of defective water-proofing has become a major problem 1. In concrete decks, water seeps through hairline cracks and pores and attacks the steel reinforcement. This process is exacerbated by chloride ions from road salts and by carbon dioxide which reduce the alkalinity of the protective concrete and
hence encourage corrosion. As the steel rusts, it expands and creates high tensile stresses which subsequently fracture the concrete. Further cracking and spalling takes place due to the freeze-thaw action of water entering these cracks2.
