Deckguard® Waterproofing Protection for Critical Infrastructure

Above: D.S. Brown’s Deckguard® Spray Membrane can resist pneumatic tire traffic associated with early loading of ballast almost immediately following membrane placement, ensuring fast turnaround and limited delays during construction.

From the Alcoa Street Bridge in Massena, New York to the Chicago Transit Authority’s Purple Line Bridges, Deckguard® – Spray Applied Membrane provides watertight protection of both steel and concrete substrates against freeze-thaw degradation and the corrosive effects of winter salt spray ensuring extended service life of the bridge structure.

Deckguard Spray Membrane is a 100% solids two-component, elastomeric coating used to waterproof both steel and concrete bridge decks in highway and rail structures. Applied using plural spray equipment, Deckguard provides a seamless, flexible and extremely durable barrier against water penetration and stray current.

D.S. Brown’s Deckguard Spray Membrane is specifically engineered for use on highway and railroad bridge decks, bridge abutments, pier caps, tunnels and pedestrian walkways. This effective waterproofing membrane can be used on intermodal and LRT rail bridges with or without protection board.

“Deckguard can be used in conjunction with hot asphalt overlays to provide the best possible protection against penetration of saltwater from winter snow and ice prevention activities,” said Ben Jacobus, D.S. Brown’s National Sales Manager for Bridge Products. “Deckguard is also so durable that independent testing to AREMA standards has shown that a traditional ballast mat is not necessary prior to applying ballast in railroad applications.”

Chicago Transit Authority – Purple Line

Three bridges on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Purple Line were found to have deteriorated from age and excessive use. The damage was determined to be irreparable, and the structures were torn down. Replacement bridges were constructed offsite and D.S. Brown’s Deckguard waterproofing membrane was applied to the steel deck surface.

Rigorous safety requirements and high temperature conditions made the utilization of spray-on membrane challenging, but the product and its application process proved successful. The use of Deckguard on the bridge decks ensures their protection from water corrosion for decades to come.

Alcoa Street Bridge

The St. Lawrence County Department of Public Works began a critical bridge maintenance project in Massena, New York. The Alcoa Street Bridge was sprayed with D.S. Brown’s Deckguard waterproofing membrane, protecting it from water penetration and corrosion prior to application of a new asphalt overlay.

Highway and Railroad Bridge Decks

Deckguard has the highest tested resistance for crack-bridging, having been tested to 40 cycles for 1/8” at -15°F to ensure watertightness under extreme deck movement.

D.S. Brown’s Deckguard can resist early loading of ballast and pneumatic tire traffic almost immediately following membrane placement, ensuring fast turnaround and limited delays during construction. It meets and exceeds all requirements of AREMA guidelines for use on all railroad bridges.

Deckguard has passed the North American Ballast Test at 80 mils for 2.0 million cycles. It can be used in direct contact with rock ballast without the need for protection board, reducing cost and installation time on railroad bridges. Also, unlike many other membrane systems, Deckguard does not have an objectionable odor that could cause public concerns during installation.

Deckguard Performance

Deckguard’s cost-saving thin coating also outperforms all other types of spray-applied membranes, including MMA. This innovative waterproofing material has been tested to meet or exceed the most stringent DOT and AREMA standards. D.S. Brown evaluates each product batch and offers a spectrograph analysis from these tests for comparison with the spectrograph of the applied material to assure installed product quality. D.S. Brown also provides onsite Quality Assurance inspections for the duration of each bridge project.

About the D.S. Brown Company

The D.S. Brown Company, founded in 1890, designs, supplies, and manufactures engineered rubber, steel and concrete products for the transportation and infrastructure sector. D.S. Brown’s proprietary product line includes expansion joints, structural bearings, and waterproofing systems for constructing and rehabilitating highways and bridges. D.S. Brown’s home office and manufacturing facilities are in North Baltimore, Ohio.

D.S. Brown, a Gibraltar Industries company, is fully integrated, performing and controlling all manufacturing processes internally including Research and Development, Engineering Design/CAD Detailing, Extruding, Molding and Testing and Custom Steel Fabrication and Machining.

Connecting with D.S. Brown

You can connect with our D.S. Brown bridge representatives – Ben Jacobus, Brent Toller and Mark Francis – for more information.

Find information about D.S. Brown products, projects and other resources on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.