In today's society, commuting for work and leisure, for long and short distances, in any weather, has become a normal part of everyday life. It is expected that the necessary infrastructure, including bridges and tunnels, are in good condition and free of traffic jams, regardless of the season. In winter, this requires extensive use of de-icing agents. In Germany, up to 100,000 tons of de-icing salt are used daily in winter, which corresponds to approximately 0.5 tons of de-icing salt per kilometer in the event of a single ice rain event.
The chlorides contained in the spray water and spray mist of these de-icing agents are the enemy of any steel reinforcement. Depending on their concentration, they lead to undesirable corrosion of the reinforcing steel and thus to costly repairs. As recently as 2007, 66% of all bridge damage was due to chloride-induced corrosion. In many countries bridge repair has become one of the most urgent challenges to ensure congestion-free traffic flow.In Germany alone, 4,800 bridges or 12% of all road bridges in the federal trunk road network have a condition rating > 3.0 and are therefore assessed as insufficient or inadequate. According to the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), repair measures are therefore to be planned for these bridges in the near future. In France more than 800 or 7% of all bridges. Repair measures must be planned for the near future.