Corrosion protection and non-skid wearing courses are both essential and basic requirements for the design of orthotropic steel decks. In Germany, specifications for thin bonded bridge overlay systems were developed. These overlay systems consist of an anti-corrosion metal primer, a filled bodycoat (4-6 mm in walkway areas, 6-10 mm in traffic lanes) and a top coat. Several laboratory tests (homogenous structure, dynamic bending test, abrasion resistance, adhesion etc) have to be carried out to demonstrate practical suitability and to gain approval, before the system can be installed. A thin bonded overlay system based on reactive methacrylate resins for directly trafficked walkway and traffic areas for the use on orthotropic steel decks is presented. The overlay system is approved in accordance with a German specification of the Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing. The resins are 100%-solids, 2-component methacrylate resins and reach their full mechanical strength in less than 2 hours. This allows the engineer to plan for the installation of several layers within one day and without any post cure waiting time. What separates PMMA systems from all other synthetic 2-component binder resins is their ability to cure even at temperatures below the freezing point of water (down to -30degreesC/-20degreesF). Urgent repair work or delayed resurfacing jobs no longer need to be accompanied in cold weather conditions by costly tents and extending heating efforts and energy expenses.
