Ocean City Research Corp. completed a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) program to evaluate the performance of coatings used for maintenance painting of bridges. The program is designed to evaluate the performance of maintenance painting using minimal surface preparation (nominally 1000 psi water wash, with minimal use of air powered tools). The impetus for this program was the proliferation of "overcastting" as a strategy for dealing with lead based paint. Key program elements included:
- Sixteen different coating systems were field tested on four bridges in nine distinctly different environments. In total 113 test patches with an average size of about 20 square feet were applied. These patches were then evaluated for up to three years.
- Each of the bridges was different with respect to coating condition and possible suitability for maintenance painting.
- Prepared guidelines to alternative maintenance painting strategies. A cornerstone of these guidelines is assessing the factors influencing the economics of various maintenance options.
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