Schaffhausen bridge
The Schaffhausen bridge across the river Rhine was completed in 1995. The bridge is required to resist to atmospheric corrosion and de-icing salts. The bridge is expected to last 80 years without loss of structural integrity and without significant maintenance.
Three options were considered for the rebar reinforcement:
- Carbon steel: expensive repairs would have been required every 25 yars and caused heavy traffic disruption
- Epoxy coated carbon steel: less extensive repairs would nevertheless have to be carried out every 25 years with reduced traffic disruption
- Carbon steel with stainless steel in the critical areas: meets the design life requirements
The comparative costs of the three alternatives are shown below.
Proper use of stainless steel leads to an extra cost of only 0.5%, paid back 30 times by the savings achieved over the lifetime of the bridge!
LIFE CYCLE COST SUMMARY OF A RIVER CROSSING HIGHWAY BRIDGE:
| Description | Carbon Steel | Epoxy C.S. | Stainless Steel |
| Material costs | 8,197 | 31,420 | 88,6460 |
| Fabrication costs | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other installation costs | 15,611,354 | 15,611,354 | 15,611,354 |
| Initial cost (CHF) | 15,619,551 | 15,642,774 | 15,700,000 |
| Maintenance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Replacement | 256,239 | 76,872 | -141 |
| Lost production | 2,218,524 | 2,218,524 | 0 |
| Material related | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Operating costs (CHF) | 2,474,763 | 2,295,396 | -141 |
| Total LCC (CHF) | 18,094,314 | 17,938,170 | 15,699,859 |
References:
http://www.concretebookshop.com/tr51-guidance-on-the-use-of-stainless-steel-reinforcement-1821-p.asp
Picture by Wandervogel (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons