RESEARCH ON AND PAVING PRACTICES FOR WEARING SURFACES ON ORTHOTROPIC STEEL BRIDGE DECKS

A SUMMARY IS PRESENTED OF THE PRESENT STATUS ON WEARING SURFACES FOR ORTHOTROPIC STEEL BRIDGE DECKS IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA. THE SUCCESS OF ORTHOTROPIC DESIGN IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WEARING SURFACE. THREE MAJOR TYPES OF STEEL DECK PAVING SYSTEMS ARE USED IN EUROPE' THE LAYERED SYSTEM, THE STABILIZED MASTIX SYSTEM, AND THIN COMBINATION COATINGS. ONLY THE FIRST TWO SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN USED TO ANY GREAT EXTENT. PAVEMENT DEVELOPMENT FOR ORTHOTROPIC STEEL BRIDGE DECKS IN THIS COUNTRY IS JUST BEGINNING AND IS LIKELY TO BE DIFFERENT FROM EUROPEAN PRACTICES.