Painting of Bridges

G.Radhakrishnan, SE/Bridges/MDU

STEEL GIRDERS

Maintenance painting scheme is as per IRBM-1998 common to all Zones

& Diagram No.53 for respective Zone and new girder painting is as per IRS-B1
specifications. With all that our painting scheme is mainly based on coastal &
non-coastal areas.

Corrosion map was published in India during the year 1968 and in
Southern Railway, the coastal areas were identified & circulated vide HQ
Letter No.W.310/5 dt.27.08.86.

Present scenario

While high corrosion is normally expected in coastal areas, the first

phase of the nation-wide survey done during 2005 by NCCI & CECRI has shown
that Mettupalayam, a town in interior Tamil Nadu state, is one of the five
places in the country where corrosion is "extremely severe."

In the case of Mettupalayam, though it is considerably inland, it was

found that a combination of rainfall, relative humidity and industrial pollution
had been its bane,’‘

“It contains a warning for other industrialised zones too”

The four other towns in this "extremely severe" category are

Sriharikota, Chennai, Marmugoa and Port Blair - all in the coastal region.

Mumbai, Mangalore, Kochi and Tuticorin are places where corrosion is

"severe" but not "extreme" while Kanyakumari is among the towns where
corrosion is the least.

We are revising the painting scheme but not the corrosion prone areas.
From the above example, it is essential to revise the corrosion prone areas
duly considering not only coastal but also industrial pollution. In addition, top
surfaces of bottom flanges of welded girders due to warping, outer flanges of
shallow type girders, cross girders & bottom lateral bracings of through type
girders due to drop out from carriages and other areas affected to be
considered for periodical patch painting. Hence it is essential to revise the
scheme of painting and also its periodicity.

Diagram No.53 (issued on 17.05.1985) requires amplification due to

• ban on Paint red lead to IS-102
• Withdrawal of Paint red oxide to IS-123
• adopting metalizing at site
• application of epoxy based paints

The Bridge Manual, which was published in the year 1998, contains
elaborate procedure to be followed for the painting scheme including
metalizing & epoxy based painting for bridge girders only. But, Bridge manual
alone cannot be referred for the “Painting of steel girders” because no
mention about the periodicity of painting for which Diagram-53 is required.
Scheme for painting of concrete bridges is not finding place in the manual.

At this juncture, one circular is needed for reference duly amalgamating

the scheme to be followed with periodicity for both steel & concrete girder
bridges. To bridge the above gap, the following points may be considered.

Painting scheme to be followed for girder bridges can be divided in to

four categories.

1. Coastal area
2. Non-Coastal area where corrosion is severe
3. Non–coastal area where corrosion is not severe
4. Area requires periodical patch painting

Coastal area:

The circular indicating the coastal area may be extended further for
highly polluted area mainly due to industrial growth and floor system of
through type, semi-through type & shallow type girders.

Painting scheme:

I. Epoxy based paints.

a) Surface preparation by sand blasting

b) Painting:
(i) Primer coat:
Apply by brush / airless spray two coats of epoxy zinc phosphate
primer to RDSO specification No. M & C /PCN-102/2009 giving
sufficient time gap between two coats to enable first coat of
primer to hard dry.
(ii) Intermediate coat:
Apply by brush/airless spray-one coat of epoxy micaceous iron
oxide to RDSO specification No. M & C /PCN-103/2011 allow it to
hard dry.
iii) Finishing coat:
Apply by brush/airless spray two coats of polyurethane
aluminium finishing to RDSO Specification No. M & C /PCN-
110/2006 giving sufficient time gap between two coats to enable
the first coat to hard dry.

II. Metallising
Metallising by spraying with aluminium painting with one coat of ETCH
primer to IS.5666 or wash primer to SSPCPT -3537, followed by one coat
of Zinc chromate primer to IS.104 and two coats of paint Aluminium to
IS.2339

Non-Coastal area where corrosion is severe

i) Priming Coat:
One coat of ready mixed paint zinc chromate priming to IS: 104
followed by one coat of zinc chrome - red oxide priming to IS:
2074
 ii) Finishing coat:
Two coats of aluminium paint to IS: 2339.

Non - Coastal area where corrosion is not severe

i) Primer coat:
One coat of ready mixed paint zinc chromate priming to IS : 104,
followed by one coat of ready mixed paint red oxide zinc chrome
priming paint to IS : 2074.
OR
Two coats of zinc chromate red oxide primer to IRS - P – 31

ii) Finishing coat:

Two cover coats of red oxide paint to IS: 13607 (Revised code for
IS 123)

CONCRETE GIRDERS

No any instructions available to carryout the painting of concrete bridges. The

following aspects may be considered in this regard.

In Aggressive environment (Severe, Very severe and extreme environment):

• Sub-structures of bridges - Coal tar epoxy (In affected parts only)
• Super structures of bridges - Epoxy-Phenolic IPN coating or CECRI
Integrated four coat system
In non-aggressive environment (Mild and Moderate environment):
• No coating is necessary.
• Good dense cover-concrete with good cement content with low water
cement ratio and extra depth of cover is enough,
• Usage of blended cement to make the concrete impermeable
• Using clean reinforcing bars.

CBRI/Roorkee & CECRI/Karaikudi have developed the painting scheme for

concrete bridges and any one method can be adopted for our requirement.

I. Specification of coating material specified in technical literature on

corrosion/carbonisation protection in concrete structures by RDSO (BS-
88) for IPN coating.

S.
Description Primer coat Middle coat Top coat
No.
Interpenetrating
Interpenetrating Interpenetrating
Polymer
1. Base Polymer (Epoxy Polymer (Epoxy
(Aliphatic
phenolic) phenolic)
Polyurethane)
1 Hour for 2
2. Pot life 1 Hour for 2 lt.mix 1 Hour for 2 lt.mix
lt.mix
3. Curing Air curing Air curing Air curing
4. Colour Clear Yellow/Grey Yellow/Grey
One year in tightly One year in
One year in tightly
5. Shelf Life sealed container tightly sealed
sealed container
One container
6. Dry film 55-65 per coat 90-100 per coat 40-50 per coat
 thickness
(Microns)
7. Coverage 5-6 sq.mt/lt. 4-5 sq.mt/lt 6-7 sq.mt/lt
Recommended
8. One One One
No. of coats

II. Epoxy Painting System by CECRI System:

Central Electro-chemical Research Institute at Karaikudi has developed a

coating system for controlling corrosion. This system is applied on the
concrete surface and helps in controlling carbonation and weathering effects.

Primer: Zinc Ethyl Silicate Primer. (Two Pack Inorganic Zinc Coating-Ethyl
silicate Binder – Pack 1 & Zinc dust powder – Pack 2) – 65 – 70 microns per
coat.

Middle coat: Two Pack epoxy – MIO undercoat. This is a high build
intermediate coat paint based on epoxy polyamide system formulated with
leafy MIO pigments to permit application at DFTs higher than 100 microns.

Top coat: This is a two pack polyurethane system consisting of a polyacrylate

polyol with appropriate pigments extenders etc. and an aliphatic
polyisocyanate ambient curing agent (50 microns per coat).

Before application, the substrata is thoroughly cleaned to remove the dust,

hardened cement slurry, oily residues etc., by scrubbing with coarse wire
brushes, grinding or sweep blasting methods depending on site requirements.
Residual amounts of de-moulding agents, curing agents should be completely
removed. Any cracks, crevices or surface blemishes should be treated with
sealant prior to primer application. The subsequent coats shall be applied by
brush or spray with an interval of 24 hours between the two coats.

The paint application should aim to achieve minimum dry film thickness as
specified by CECRI.

The DFT (Dry film thickness) shall be measured on 100x100mm steel plate
attached with epoxy on the concrete surface at the rate one per 10m 2.

COMPOSITE GIRDERS

As per extant instructions, the steel portion of composite girders has to

be metalised and specified painting scheme after metalising to be followed

Patch painting:

With closer interval, the affected portions mainly in steel girders may be
painted with local scrapping & painting. This is done departmentally. But, the
staff strength of bridge wing has drastically come down and no any in put has
been done. So, patch painting, hereafter, can be done thro’ agency only for
which suitable guidelines/clear instructions are required so as to carryout the
same with agency