Celebrating 40 Years of Corrosion Protection

In 2013, we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Epoxy-Coated Reinforcing Steel.

Epoxy-coated reinforcing steel was first used in Pennsylvania in 1973 based upon extensive research by the National Bureau of Science. It has been used worldwide and is used extensively in the USA, Canada, Japan, China, India and the Middle East. Epoxy-coated reinforcing steel has been used in over 87,000 bridge decks covering 1,037,229,636 ft2 in the U.S. alone.

During the past 40 years, changes have been made to the coating and application processes that are not visible to the customer. These changes have resulted in epoxy-coated reinforcing steel products that are more flexible, robust and durable, and are reflected in the product specifications ASTM A775 and ASTM A934 for reinforcing bar and ASTM A884 for welded wire fabric.

ASTM A775 Modifications

  • 1981 — First version approved
  • 1989 — Permissible reduced to damage 1%
  • 1989 — Steel anchor profile introduced
  • 1990 — Requirements that all damage be repaired
  • 1993 — Coating thickness increased
  • 1994 — Bend requirements increased
  • 1995 — Reduced allowable holidays and time to coat
  • 1997 — Introduced cathodic debonding tests and provided provisions for outdoor storage
  • 2004 — Increased coating thickness