One-third of Canada’s 75,000 highway bridges have structural or functional deficiencies and a short remaining service life. With 20 million light vehicles, 750,000 trucks and 15,000 public transit buses using Canadian bridges annually, they are essential for the efficient movement of commercial goods within the country and across international borders.
Developing innovative high performance composite systems to protect critical concrete infrastructure against extreme shocks is the goal of a research project now underway at the National Research Council. NRC, in collaboration with industry and infrastructure owners (see box), is conducting … Full story
Almost 15% of water distribution pipes in service in Canada and the United States are constructed of asbestos cement (AC). In some towns and cities, these make up the majority of the pipe inventory. Most AC pipes were installed from … Full story
Safe and reliable drinking water distribution systems are essential for the health and prosperity of Canadian cities and communities. The purification of source water at the treatment plant is critical but insufficient, since water can deteriorate in quality as it … Full story
Researchers at NRC are investigating the use of capacitive imaging sensors for determining the extent of corrosion on metallic pipe. Corrosion is the main cause of deterioration in buried metallic pipes, typically showing up in the form of localized pits. … Full story
Highway bridges often show premature signs of distress such as cracking of the concrete and corrosion of the reinforcement. This can impair structural performance and shorten service life. A new approach to bridge construction holds promise to mitigate these problems … Full story
Model of the future North Channel and Canal Bridges in Cornwall. (Courtesy of Federal Bridge Corporation) A more durable concrete that will increase the average lifespan of bridge decks by more than 20 years compared to typical high-strength concrete, and … Full story
Project partners British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways City of Calgary City of Winnipeg Ministère des transports du Québec Nickel Institute Concrete prisms for testing corrosion performance and coupling corrosion. Conventional carbon steel reinforced concrete structures—bridges, parking garages, marinas … Full story
