Bridge Strengthening Using Advanced Composite System

7/21/2019 Bridge Strengthening Using Advanced Composite System

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BRIDGE STRENGTHENING USING ADVANCED

COMPOSITE SYSTEM


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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Any technology or material has its limitations. To overcomethese limitations new materials and technology make there way.In civil industry to meet up the requirements of advance infrastructure new innovative materials/ technologies has started

making their way. Use of FR composites inReha!ilitation and "trengthening of structures is !ecomingincreasingly popular and is opening new possi!ilities inconstruction and reha!ilitation of structures. In the present paperwe present use of FR for strengthening and reha!ilitation for!ridges. #ridges are important and critical structures and present

many challenges for replacement or repair. $any of theadvantages in these materials have proven to !e revolutionary interms of time constraints and dura!ility of these structures. Thispaper presents three !ridges which were either reha!ilitated orstrengthened !y using FR composites. The resulting structurewas then tested for the effect after using FR composites for

Reha!ilitation and strengthening. It is !ecomingprefera!le% !oth environmentally and economically to upgrade!ridges rather than to demolish and re!uild them. The


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deterioration of !ridges from environmental influences and fromtraffic loads require reha!ilitation and renewal programs tomaintain even current service levels on the !ridge infrastructure

network. There are increased demands for high dura!ility%longer service life % reduced maintenance cost and cost /performance optimi&ation. Advanced 'omposite "ystems havenow !ecome a via!le method of strengthening e(isting !ridgesworldwide. This paper presents the evolution of car!on

fi!er systems since )**). In today+s world% constructionengineers are faced more and more frequently with the task ofstrengthening e(isting !ridges in order to secure or evenincrease their load !earing capacity. $any differentstrengthening techniques are availa!le% such as installingadditional steel% e(ternal posttensioning%!onded reinforcement%increasing the concrete cross,section% etc.

In today+s world% construction engineers are facedmore and more frequently with the task of strengthening e(isting#ridges in order to secure or even increase their load !earingcapacity. $any different strengthening techniques are availa!le%such as installing additional steel% e(ternal posttensioning%!onded reinforcement% increasing the concrete cross,section% etc.

The use of !onded steel plates has !een used successfully sincethe late )*-+s.(ternal plate !onding is a

method of strengthening which involves adhering additionalreinforcement to the e(ternal faces of a structural mem!er. As a


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result of e(tensive research and development pro0ects at the"wiss Federal 1a!oratories for $aterials Testing and Research2$A3% 45!endorf% "wit&erland it was proven that the use of

steel plates can !e replaced with composite materials. The high,strength 'ar!on Fi!er Reinforced olymer 2'FR3 plate systemwas applied for the first time outside the la!oratory in )**) forstrengthening the I!ach #ridge in 1ucerne% "wit&erland. Invirtually all applications for !ridge strengthening% advancedcomposite systems have !een proven to !e structurally efficient%

easy to handle and install on 0o! site% and cost competitive whencompared to other conventional strengthening methods.

Why do bridges eed s!reg!heig"

There are many reasons why it may !e necessary to strengthen!ridges. These include6

7 'orrosion of reinforcement7 'orrosion of pre,stressing ca!les7 $odified 'odes and "tandards7 Increased permanent and traffic loads7 Inadequate structural design7 "eismic retrofitting

Advanced composite systems are comprised of fi!ers 2typicallycar!on% glass% or aramid3 and resins 2typically epo(y resins3.8nly long term tested 2fatigue resistant3 and approved systems


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should !e recommended for strengthening purposes in #ridgengineering. Installation that involved minimum la!or andtraffic interruption.This paper reports on the strengthening

techniques% design approach% and testing of the !ridges.

Wh#! do $e #%hie&e by #do'!ig !his Te%hi()e"

In adopting the technique of advanced composites systems it ispossi!le to6

7 Increase the fle(ural strength7 Increase the shear strength7 Increase the seismic resistance7 Increase the confining strength

OVERVIEW

The service life of !ridges is often reduced due to the corrosionof steel reinforcing !ars in !ridge decks and to the crackingcaused !y loading in e(cess to the original design values due toincreased traffic volumes. In Indiana% numerous !ridges are inneed of upgrading or reha!ilitation. 'urrent upgrading practicesinclude replacing the part of deteriorated portion of the deck

structure !y patching damaged areas or replacing the whole deckstructure. #oth of these practices have draw!acks. The first istime,consuming and provides only a short,term solution% whilethe latter is e(pensive and causes severe traffic disruption.Therefore% alternative solutions should !e devised for the


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reha!ilitation and upgrading of deteriorated !ridge decks inIndiana. $any industries% such as the aerospace and theautomotive industries have successfully used Fi!er Reinforced

olymer 'omposites 2FR'3. These types of compositematerials offer significant advantages over conventional civilengineering materials% such as concrete and steel. This is due totheir chemical and corrosion resistance% lightweight% and highstrength% which make them attractive for the reha!ilitation ofcivil infrastructures. "trengthening of Reinforced 'oncrete 2R'3

structures !y !onding e(ternal steel plates and composite platesor sheets is an effective method for improving structuralperformance under !oth service and ultimate load conditions. Amain disadvantage of using steel plates is the potential forcorrosion at the epo(y/steel interface with consequent reductionin !ond strength when e(posed to harsh environments.'omposite plates or sheets% on the other hand% offer several

advantages over their steel counterparts% such as ease !ondage toirregular surfaces% lightweight% etc. FR' have !een used in thereplacement of deficient !ridge decks. "tudies of the feasi!ilityand long,term performance of this type of application have !eenconducted. These studies have concluded that not only FR'decks should !e considered as an alternative to conventional

reinforced concrete decks9 they have a num!er of advantagesover the latter. In particular% their ease of construction should !ehighlighted6 instead of weeks only a few days are required fortheir successful installation and consequently% traffic disruptionsare minimi&ed. The o!0ective of this research pro0ect is to study


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the feasi!ility of using of FR as a retrofit or constructionmaterial for !ridge decks. This has !een accomplished !y meansof a comprehensive literature review of e(ternally !onded FR'

strengthening systems and of the current state of knowledge ontechnologies involved in the design and construction of FR'!ridge decks. In addition% valua!le information has !eeno!tained through a we!,!ased survey of other state 4epartmentsof Transportations 248Ts3 on their e(perience with FR'materials for !ridge decks.

*INDINGS+

The results from the literature review indicate that !y e(ternally!onding FR plates 2or sheets3 and/or rods provide e(cellentretrofitting mechanisms to increase deck strength as well asstiffness of aging or deteriorated structures. The advantages of

this retrofitting method include reduced la!or costs% minimumshutdown time/cost and traffic disruption% and minimalmaintenance requirements. From the literature review% it wasfound that the values of such the increase in stiffness andstrength varied for the different field applications. :owever% inall cases such an increase was o!served. Furthermore% it was

also found that the !enefits of such a retrofitting system do notchange with time. A num!er of demonstration pro0ects thatstudied FR !ridge deck panels have !een conductedcountrywide. These pro0ects range from small,scale pedestrian!ridges to large,scale highway !ridges as well as from deck


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replacement to !ridges made entirely of composite materials.$ost of the studies report that their FR applications areperforming very well. In fact% some of these applications are

now ; or < years old and continue to show e(cellentperformance. In all cases% it is reported that the installation timeis significantly reduced when compared to conventionalreinforced concrete decks. The e(perience of other state 48Tsin the use of FR as a retrofit and as a construction material for!ridge decks was investigated !y means of a we!,!ased survey.

All = state 48Ts were contacted and ;< responded the survey.8f the responding 48Ts% >; responded that they have used FRfor !ridge desk reha!ilitation and/or installed FR !ridge decks.The ma0or reasons provided !y these states for adopting FRmaterials were their e(cellent strength% lightweight% anddura!ility. $ost of the states using FR as a material for !ridgedeck reha!ilitation reported that its main use was to strengthen

and upgrade damaged !ridge decks. ight states responded thatthey had replaced a reinforced concrete !ridge deck !y a FR!ridge deck. #ased on their e(perience% these 48Ts have noto!served any pro!lems with their FR application. Twenty state48Ts have responded that they are considering using FR in thefuture. $ost of them plan to utili&e FR as a

strengthening/upgrading system. The results from the literaturereview and 48T survey indicate that FR materials have !eensuccessfully used in civil infrastructure applications% and inparticular for !ridge deck strengthening and replacement. It alsoappears% from the results of this study that the use of FR in


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!ridges is likely to continue and potentially !ecome amainstream material in the near future.

IMP,IMENTATION

The current state of knowledge of FR materials as aconstruction material for civil infrastructure indicates that it can!e successfully used in many types of applications. The presentstudy focuses in their use for !ridge decks. In order to further

!enefit from this technology% Indiana must !ecome part of theincreasing research efforts in this area. Therefore% it is stronglyrecommended that a demonstration pro0ect !e developed in thisstate. ?ith this in mind% a proposal has !een developed andsu!mitted to the F:?A Innovative #ridge Research and'onstruction 2I#R'3 program. In the proposed pro0ect% the threemain spans of a !ridge deck in Tippecanoe 'ounty will !e

replaced !y @ FR deck panels. The scope of this pro0ectincludes the evaluation and design of FR !ridge deck panels tomeet current code requirements. It also involves thereconstruction of an e(isting !ridge deck using the innovativeFR deck panels. The monitoring of the performance of thedeveloped application will also !e part of the proposed I#R'

pro0ect.


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CHAPTER -

BAC.GROUND

- BAC.GROUND

The service life of !ridges is often reduced due to the corrosionof steel reinforcing !ars in !ridge decks and to the crackingcaused !y loading in e(cess to the original design values due toincreased traffic volumes. In Indiana% numerous !ridges are in

need of upgrading or reha!ilitation. 'urrent upgrading practicesinclude replacing the part of deteriorated portion of the deckstructure !y patching damaged areas or replacing the wholedeck structure. #oth of these practices have draw!acks. Thefirst is time,consuming and provides only a short,term solution%while the latter is e(pensive and causes severe traffic disruption. Therefore% alternativesolutions should !e devised for the reha!ilitation and upgradingof deteriorated !ridge decks in Indiana. $any industries% suchas the aerospace and the automotive industries havesuccessfully used Fi!er Reinforced olymer 'omposites2FR'3. These types of composite materials offer significantadvantages over conventional civil engineering materials% such

as concrete and steel. This is due to their chemical andcorrosion resistance% lightweight% and high strength% whichmake them attractive for the reha!ilitation of civilinfrastructures.


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"trengthening of Reinforced 'oncrete 2R'3structures !y !onding e(ternal steel plates and composite platesor sheets is an effective method for improving structural

performance under !oth service and ultimate load conditions. Amain disadvantage of using steel plates is the potential forcorrosion at the epo(y/steel interface with consequent reductionin !ond strength when e(posed to harsh environments. 8therdisadvantages are transportation% storage% installation difficultiesas well as increase to the structure self,weight.

'omposite plates or sheets%on the other hand% offer several advantages over their steelcounterparts% such as ease !ondage to irregular surfaces%lightweight% etc. Figure ).) shows a comparative sketch of theprocedures usually required for the installation of these twotypes of retrofits. Another e(citing application involves the useof FR' in the replacement of deficient !ridge decks. "ome

investigative studies have !een conducted to date to study thefeasi!ility and longterm performance of this type of application.These studies have concluded that not only FR' decks should!e considered as an alternative to conventional reinforcedconcrete decks9 they have a num!er of advantages over thelatter.

In particular% their ease of construction should !ehighlighted6 instead of weeks only a few days are required fortheir successful installation and consequently% traffic disruptionsare minimi&ed. ?hile it may !e too soon to tell% it is e(pectedthat FR applications will have a much longer life span than


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applications that use traditional civil engineering materials% sinceFR is corrosion resistant. :owever% more research is needed todetermine the long,term !ehavior of these materials under

various environmental and loading conditions. ?hile compositematerials have !een widely used in other industries% theirapplication to 'ivil Infrastructures is relatively new. :owever%!oth researchers and practicing engineering have recogni&ed thatthese materials will eventually !ecome part of the civil industrymainstream.

FR plates or sheets provide aneffective solution for strengthening !ridge decks that have!ecome deficient due to deterioration% additional service loads ore(cessive deflections created !y change in use% construction ordesign defects% or code changes. Furthermore% FR deck panelsare a promising alternative as a replacement of conventionalreinforced concrete !ridge decks. This report focuses on these

two applications of FR to !ridge decks.

-/1 OB0ECTIVE

The o!0ective of this research pro0ect is to study the feasi!ilityof using of FR as a retrofit or construction material for !ridge

decks. This has !een accomplished !y means of acomprehensive literature review of e(ternally !onded FR'strengthening systems and of the current state of knowledge ontechnologies involved in the design and construction of FR'!ridge decks. In addition% valua!le information has !een


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o!tained through a survey of other state 4epartments ofTransportations 248Ts3 on their use of FR' materials.

-/- ORGANISATION O* THE REPORT

The organi&ation of this report is provided ne(t. In 'hapter >% aliterature review on the usage of FR' strengthening systemsfor !ridge decks is carried out. 'hapter ; presents the currentstate of knowledge of FR !ridge decks. 8n !oth of thesechapters% lists of relevant manufacturers are provided. In'hapter


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Figure ).) Installation of !ridge deck retrofits 2mmons et al.%)**@3


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Figure ).> 'omponents of the !onding material in FR' sheets2mmonset al.% )**@3

CHAPTER


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*RP AS E2TERNA,3INTERNA, RETRO*ITS *OR

BRIDGE DEC.S

/1 INTRODUCTION

Advanced composite materials usually have two components6 areinforcing element and a supporting matri(. The reinforcingelement is% in general% much stiffer and stronger than the matri(and as such% it is the load,carrying element. The matri(% on the

other hand% provides lateral support for the reinforcing element2Teng et al. >3. The matri( in Fi!er Reinforced olymer'omposites 2FR'3 consists of a polymer/resin used as a !indermaterial. It supports and separates the fi!ers% and it protects thefi!ers against severe environmental conditions. Thermosettingpolymer resins are the most common types of matri( element.

In particular% polyesters%epo(ies and phenolics are the most frequently used resins incivil engineering applications. The FR' reinforcing elementsare used to provide the stiffness and strength to compositematerials. These reinforcing element materials% which aretypically used in civil engineering applications% are usually madeof car!on 2graphite3% glass% and aramid 2Cevlar 3 fi!ers. They

are im!edded in a resin matri( 2e.g. epo(y resins3 and theyprovide most of the tensile strength of the composite 0ust as steeldoes in reinforced concrete. FR' is usually manufactured in acontinuously woven form with different lengths or directions inorder to provide the !est performance for different applications.


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Using e(ternally !onded FR' platesor rods to retrofit structures has !een shown to !e a practicalmethod for strengthening aging or deteriorated structures. The

advantages of this method include reduced la!or costs%minimum shutdown time/cost and traffic disruption% andminimal maintenance requirements. This chapter focuses on theapplication of this technology to !ridge decks. "ection >.>provides a literature review of the pu!lished research in whichFR has !een used as a retrofit for deficient reinforced concrete

!ridge decks. In "ection >.;% the different manufacturers of thesetypes of FR retrofits are provided.

/-/ ,ITERATURE REVIEW


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Banni 2)**=3

In this work% several applications of e(ternally !onded FR

reinforcement of concrete structures developed in Dapan arediscussed. According to the author% the function of these retrofitsdepends on the type of application% i.e.% it may !e anycom!ination of strengthening% stiffening% crack arrest% orcorrosion protection. In particular% two e(amples of !ridge deckretrofitting are highlighted. They are the :ata and :iyoshikura

!ridges.

The :ata #ridge 2Figure >.)3 is located in Cyushu :ighway in"outhern Dapan. In this application% FR sheets were installed onthe soffit of the cantilevered wing sla! to provide the neededadditional capacity caused !y the installation of a largerwind!reak wall. This pro0ect took was conducted in the spring

of )**


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Figure >.). :ata #ridge 7 Dapan 2Banni% )**=3

Two layers of car!on FR 2'FR3 wereapplied !oth parallel and perpendicular to the traffic direction. Insome critical locations three plies were used. The sheets wereapplied !y roller !rushing the adhesive to the undersidefollowed !y the application of the FR sheet% as shown in Figure

>.>. The fi!er were always oriented in the direction parallel tothe long dimension of the sheets% which were = cm wide andthe length was cut to si&e. 8n,site loading test were conducted totest the effectiveness of the strengthening method. $ore


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specifically% these tests showed the strains were reducedconsidera!ly on the steel reinforcement.

Figure >.>. Installation of FR sheets on the soffit of thecantilevered sla! of :ata #ridge 2Banni% )**=3

In the spring of )**


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replacing the deck% the cracks were sealed and FR wraps wereapplied to the underside of the @ deck for strengthening. $orespecifically% the area of soffit of the deck 2)-< m> or )E- ft> 3

was covered with two layers of 'FR placed parallel andperpendicular to the traffic direction 2Figure >.>3.

In order to evaluate the developed application%strain gages were installed on steel reinforcing !ars on theunderside of the deck. Running vehicle tests were conducted that

showed that the tensile strain in the steel reinforcement reduced!y ; to 6; in volume. The formwork was removed >< hours aftercasting. The curing time was >@ days at room temperature. Theaverage cylinder strength of the concrete after >@ days was )@

$a. Unidirectional graphite/epo(y composite sheets wereused. The thickness of the composite plates varied from .;;mm 2; layers3 to - mm 2


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#efore !onding the FR sheets to the concrete surfaces% thesesurfaces were prepared !y62a3 sand!lasting until the aggregates were e(posed9

2!3 washing with water and !lasting it with air for drying9 and2c3 cleaning with acetone.

The preparation of the surfaces of thecomposite sheets consisted of sanding with sand paper and thencleaning with acetone. #oth accelerated tests and long,term

environmental tests were conducted on the developedspecimens. Two types of accelerated tests were performed. Inone of them% the specimens were immersed at room temperaturefor - days. In the other% hot,cold cycles were applied% i.e.% *samples were placed in an oven at


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). The use of e(ternally !onded FR' sheets to structuralmem!ers can increase the fle(ural loading !earing capacity !yup to . Increasing the thickness of the composite sheet did not seemto lead to an improvement in strength. Instead% a decrease instrength was o!served when composite sheet !ecame too thick.The length of the composite sheet had a noticea!le effect on thestrength% i.e.% the longer the composite sheet% greater the

strength.

;. The e(posure to water for - days at room temperature ofsamples retrofitted with FR' sheets had no significant effecton their load !earing capacity.

,day and >@,month long,term

outdoor e(posure showed a reduced load !earing capacity. In!oth cases% this reduction was less than E% even thoughsamples su!0ected to >@,month e(posure e(hi!ited traces ofde!onding !etween the concrete and composite sheet. It isinteresting to note that the results o!tained !y the acceleratedtests using hot,cold cycles are quite close to those of long,term

e(posure and in the conservative side. The results also suggestthat the effect of temperature is more important than humidity interm of the reduction of !onding strength. :umidity alone seemsto only have a hardening effect on the samples.


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In conclusion% the authors havefound that using hot,cold cycles is an effective method foraccelerated testing of the long,term performance of FR' sheet

retrofitted specimens. Finally% they concluded that usinge(ternally !onded FR' sheet can restore the load !earingcapacity of deficient specimens.

Arockiasamy et al. 2)**-3

In this study% two solid sla!s )>)* mm ( ;= mm ( ; mm ( -==; mm 2) ft. - in.3 were studied.#oth of these sla!s were pre,cracked and then one of each typewas reinforced with e(ternally !onded 'FR plates to evaluatethe contri!ution of the retrofit to the strength and stiffness of thesla!s. The specimens were loaded to failure after complete cure

of the adhesives.

From the tests% it was o!served that failure mode of theretrofitted solid sla! occurred !y crushing of concrete atmidspan% while the control precracked sla! failed at point ofapplication of the load. The results show that !y retrofittingseverely damaged solid sla! with 'FR laminates% improvesignificantly its fle(ural capacity 2appro(imately * of thefle(ural capacity of the uncracked sla!3. The retrofitted voidedsla! e(perienced a sudden and catastrophic failure. Thissuggests that prior damage to the sla! may have e(isted leading


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to local concrete crushing failure. The retrofitted solid andvoided sla!s e(hi!it larger deflection than the control precrackedsla!s at !oth service and ultimate loads. 'rack patterns of the

retrofitted sla!s were identical to those of the control sla!s.

Alkhrda0i et al. 2)***3

In this study% a full,scale application was tested to investigate theeffectiveness of using FR' to strengthen actual !ridge decks.

$ore specifically #ridge D,@=E% located on Route E> in helps'ounty% $issouri% was chosen for testing and demolition. Field,tests using 'FR sheets and rods as strengthening systems wereconducted. In addition% a test of a non,strengthened !ridge deckwas also conducted for comparison. Figure >.; depict thestrengthening schemes used in the three !ridge decks. Figures>.< 2a3 and 2!3 show the strengthened !ridge deck with e(ternal

'FR sheets and rods% respectively.


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Figure >.; Retrofitting scheme used in the three !ridge decks2Alkhrda0i et al.% )***3

(amination of the test resultsindicates that !oth strengthening systems were successful. Thespecific findings from the field,testing data are given !elow6

). The increase in the moment capacity was )E and >E for'FR sheets and rods% respectively.

>. The strengthened decks had smaller deflections 2thereforehigher stiffness3 and higher load capacity at the ultimate loadingconditions.;. The 'FR rod system provides slightly !etter !enefits thanthose of e(ternally !ond 'FR sheets.

Additional advantages o!served includedminimal surface preparation% )> rapid installation time% anda!ility of anchoring the reinforcement into ad0acent R'mem!ers.


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2a3

2!3Figure >.< "trengthening schemes6 2a3 FR sheets% 2!3 FR rods2Alkhrda0i et al.% )***3


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Ri&kalla and 1a!ossiHre 2)***3

This article descri!es some pro0ects in 'anada that use FRmaterials to strengthen !ridge. 8ne of such pro0ects consisted ofthe application of 'FR to internally strengthen a !ridge deckunderneath the overlay. The developed application is shown inFigure >.=. The structure is referred to as the 'ountry :ills#oulevard #ridge in 'algary% Al!erta% 'anada. The main reason

for the !ridge strengthening was that it was found that its thindeck would overload under full truck loading. The mainconsiderations that lead to the decision to use such a retrofit%included the fact that they did not wish to replace the wholedeck 2nondestructive alternative3 and that they wished tominimi&e traffic disruption. The procedures used in thedevelopment of this application were6

). 'FR strips were installed at > inches center to center.>. The deck surface was rough. A layer of "ikadur ; with sandaggregate was applied for leveling purposes.;. The 'FR strips were applied with epo(y after one day.


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Figure >.= FR strips applied on deck of the 'ountry :ills

#oulevard #ridge 2Ri&kalla and 1a!ossiHre% )***3Another pro0ect descri!ed in this article is

the strengthening of the "te,JmKlie,de,l+Jnergie #ridge inLuK!ec% 'anada using FR materials. The site preparationincluded a curing time of the concrete used in the repair of fourweeks. The composite strips were installed in eight days over aperiod of three weeks. The 'FR strips were = mm 2> in3 wide.The !ehavior was monitored using strain gages% thermocouples%and optic fi!ers with #ragg sensors or Fa!ry,erot )< sensors.The $inistHre de Transports performed loading test !oth prior


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and after the repair. The goals of increasing the !ending strength!y ;= and the shear strength !y > were achieved.

Taerwe and $athys 2)***3

In this article% the strengthening of damaged concrete structuresusing FR is discussed. In particular% the strengthening of theTann!erg #ridge in Austria is mentioned% in which 'FR fa!ricstrips were applied to the underside of the !ridge deck as shown

in Figure >.-. Freyssinet manufactured these sheets% which arereferred to as TF' sheets. 4etails onthe strengthening scheme and on the performance of thedeveloped scheme are not provided in this article.


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Figure >.- "trengthening of the Tann!erg #ridge% Austria2Taerwe and $athys% )***3

$ayo et al.% >

Another application of reinforcing !ridge decks with FR' isthat of $issouri #ridge M,>E. The damaged !ridge is shown onFigures >.E. The strengthening method used in this applicationconsisted of 'FR sheets e(ternally !onded to the underside ofthe !ridge deck. The Figures >.@ shows the application of the

adhesive prior to the application of the 'FR sheets and Figure>.* shows the installation of the sheets themselves. The goal ofthis strengthening pro0ect was to increase the fle(ural capacityof the !ridge.


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Figure >.E. #ridge M,>E% $issouri 2$ayo et al.% >3

Figure >.@. Application of the adhesive to the underside of thedeck 2$ayo et al.% >3


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Figure >.*. Installation of the 'FR sheets 2$ayo et al.% >3#oth full,scale la!oratory and in,situ field tests were conducted!efore/after strengthening to evaluate the effectiveness of thedeveloped strengthening system. Furthermore% the long,termperformance of the !ridge has also !een monitored.

In,situ field tests were conducted !eforeand after strengthening to evaluate the effectiveness of thedeveloped strengthening system in $ay )**@. These load testsmeasured the deflection due to a load truck driving over the!ridge. "i( passes were made !y the truck on the Borth and"outh sides and on the centerline. It is found that in average% thedeflections after strengthening were *


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In August )***% a second load testwas performed on August )*% )***. This foal of this test was toinvestigate the effects of time on the performance of the system.

8nce again% it was found that the deflections were not uniformthroughout the !ridge. It was concluded from this second load,deflection tests that the FR sheets continue to carry tensilestresses. In fact% they found that the deflections are almost thesame as those measured in $ay )**@.

>.; $anufacturers of (ternal FR Reinforcement "ystems for#ridge 4ecks

A num!er of FR manufacturers% which were originallydedicated to other industries such as the automotive andaerospace industries% have !een alternatively re,focusing theirscope to the civil engineering industry. Among these

manufacturers% the ones that have participated in most of thedeveloped field applications are mem!ers of the $arket4evelopment Alliance of the FR 'omposites Industry 2$4A3.This self,funded% non,profit trade alliance is a consortium oforgani&ations with interest in FR composites. In addition tomanufacturers and material suppliers% it also includes owners%

constructors% consultants and designers. The mission of $4A isto identify and market new applications for FR products. Themanufacturer mem!ers for FR reinforcing systems for !ridgedecks are provided in this section.


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The use of FR materials to strengthenconcrete structures can !e traced to the )*=s% however their useas an e(ternal reinforcement of concrete !ridge structures !egan

in )*@s 2$4A >3. According to $4A+s report 2$4A>3% more than ) !ridges 2concrete sla!/steel girders3 inDapan have !een strengthened !y !onding FR sheets to the sla!.In the U.".% this technology has !een widely used to retrofitcolumns for seismic upgrade. 8f the companies that speciali&ein the use of FR sheets to retrofit !ridge structures% the ones

that have used this technology to upgrade !ridge decks are listed!elow.

'8$TC "tructural 'omposites% Inc.

This manufacturer is !ased in Bew Nork 'ity% while its

manufacturing facility 2Bational 'omposites 'enter 7 B''3 islocated in 4ayton% 8hio. Their product% referred to as theAT1A" "ystem% has !een developed to strengthen structuralcomponents 2!eams% columns and sla!s3. #oth sheets and rodsare manufactured using this system. 8f their products% those thathave !een used to reinforce !ridge decks are the Atlas 'ar!on

1aminates 2A'13 and the Atlas 'ar!on Rod 2A'R3. The A'1can !e installed on the underside of the !ridge for strengthening2Figure >.)3% while the A'R can !e em!edded in the concretesla! 2Figure >.))3.


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Figure >.). Atlas car!on laminates installed on underside of aconcrete sla!


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Figure >.)). FR Rods em!edded into a concrete sla!

Fyfe 'o.%11' 6

?hile this company+s headquarters is located in "an 4iego%'alifornia% it has representatives throughout the U.". and theworld. Their product% the Tyfo Fi!erwrap "ystem uses wetlayup and preformed composites 2unidirectional or !i,directionalglass or car!on fi!ers3 for strengthening of structuralcomponents. It has !een mostly used for seismic retrofit ofcolumns% !ut it has also !een used to strengthen !eams and sla!s!oth in the positive and negative moment regions. $ost of theircompleted pro0ects have !een on !uilding structures% however% it


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has the potential to !e successfully used to upgrade !ridgedecks.

$aster #uilders% Inc.

This manufacturer% located in 'leveland% 8hio% has developedthe $#race 'omposite "trengthening "ystem% which ise(ternally !onded to concrete or masonry structures to increase

their strength. $#race uses unidirectional aerospace gradecar!on% ,glass% or aramid fi!er > fa!rics em!edded inengineered materials that include epo(y surface primers% puttyfillers% and high solids resins. 8ne of their completed pro0ects isthe upgrade of the $o48T #ridge M>E in Iron 'ounty% $82Figure >.)>3 in $ay )**@. The $#race system was applied tothe underside of the !ridge+s deck to allow for a larger load

rating.


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Figure >.)>. $o48T #ridge M>E 2Iron 'ounty% $83

CHAPTER 4

*RPC BRIDGE DEC.S


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!ecome deficient. Bearly


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chronologically% i.e.% from older to more recent pu!lications. In"ection ;.;% the different manufacturers of FR !ridge deckpanels are provided.

4/-/ ,ITERATURE REVIEW

Dohansen et al. 2)**E3

In the work !y Dohansen et al. 2)**E3% two fi!erglass reinforcedplastic 2MFR3 truss !ridges in the Molden Mate BationalRecreation Area% 'A were investigated. MFR was chosen fordura!ility and maintaina!ility reasons. The original !ridges hadmaintenance pro!lems% since they were made with conventionalmaterials% such as wood 2which e(perienced rotting3% and steeland concrete 2which e(perienced severe corrosion3. The lengths

of the two developed !ridges are ;= ft and E ft. The regionwhere the !ridges were installed is prone to seismic attacks ande(treme wind conditions. Therefore% these possi!ilities wereconsidered in the design of the !ridges. In the final design% theimprovement of the overall strength and stiffness was achieved!y means of cam!er% O,!racing% and steel !olts connections

2Figure ;.)3. The installation of each !ridge took appro(imately).= hours. #oth !ridges were airlifted and placed along thecliffs. The total time taken to design% fa!ricate% ship and installthese !ridges was appro(imately - days. The total cost of thepro0ect 2including design% fa!rication% and shipping3 was


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P; compared to !ridges made of conventional civil engineeringmaterials% such as concrete% wood% and steel.


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Figure ;.). E,ft long FR pedestrian !ridge 2Dohansen et al.)**E3

Car!hari et al. 2)**E3

In Car!hari et al. 2)**E3 an e(perimental program wasconducted to investigate different configurations of !ridge deck

panels% from various manufacturers. The FR deck panels weredeveloped using the following three criteria6 stiffnessrequirements% displacement limits% and cost. The testedspecimens ranged from su!component% component% and field,si&e levels. Figure ;.> shows the different tested panels. Themain goal of their tests was to study the effectiveness of thevarious deck panel configurations. To achieve this% quasi,static

testing of a num!er of FR deck specimens were conducted. Inall cases% it was found that all the FR deck specimens havemuch higher failure loads and compara!le initial stiffness thanthat of the reinforced concrete specimen. They have also foundthat the !o( and trape&oid configurations have significantly!etter energy a!sorption capacity. Bota!ly% one of their main

findings was that the FR deck components >< continued tocarry load even when su!stantial cracking and fracture hadoccurred% i.e.% no catastrophic failure was o!served.


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Figure ;.>. Tested deck panel specimens 2Car!hari et al. )**E3

8verall% they concluded that FR decks are a

suita!le alternative to conventional civil reinforced !ridge decks.Furthermore% they found that these decks could !e fa!ricatedusing many different processes. "ome related topics that werenot addressed in this work include6 the response under dynamicloads% the !ehavior of the connections !etween deck and girders%


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and deck and !arrier and side rails% the effect of the differentmaterial properties !etween FR and e(isting su!structure% andthe long,term dura!ility.

'ha0es% $. et al. 2)**@3

The paper !y 'ha0es% $. et al. 2)**@3 discusses the evolutionand status of three !ridges made of advanced composites in4elaware. In this research e(tensive monitoring through !oth

initial load testing and long,term monitoring programs weredeveloped >= The three !ridges were selected such that theywere incrementally more comple( and had more restrictiveservice requirements. These !ridges were designed using theAA":T8 1RF4 #ridge 4esign "pecifications and factorstaking into account deterioration of material properties over timewere used 2for a life span of E= years3. #oth strength and service

limit states were considered% including the effects of fatigueloading. The first !ridge% the $aga&ine 4itch #ridge% is a >> mlong% single,span% simply supported !ridge 2Figure ;.;3. It wasinstalled on a private service road and it was completed on Dune>;% )**E. This !ridge carries a small traffic volume% even thoughit is also traveled !y heavily loaded maintenance vehicles. The

developed !ridge is made of glass fi!er reinforced polymer2MFR3. A


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Figure ;.;. The $aga&ine 4itch #ridge 2'ha0es% $. et al. )**@3

1a!oratory tests on su!,components and ona full,scale portion of the deck 2).> m long !y - m wide3 wereperformed at the University of 4elaware. The test programincluded the application of AA":T8 service and strength loads%and fatigue tests of up to >%% cycles. The second !ridge%

#ridge ),;=)% replaced an e(isting !ridge in the state of4elaware 2Figure ;.m wide simply supported sla! !ridge. The developed MFR!ridge is * m long !y @ m wide% with an all,composite deck.


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Figure ;.


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Figure ;.=. #ridge 2'ha0es% $. et al. )**@3

The University of 4elaware iscurrently monitoring the three !ridges. The three important limit

states considered in this study were servicea!ility 2deflection3%strength 2stress and strain3% and fatigue. The ultimate goal is tocorrelate the measured responses to the la!oratory test results.The most important parameters that are !eing measured in themonitoring program include6 traffic statistics 2including num!erof trucks and classifications3% strains 2!oth longitudinal and

transverse3% deflections% and daily weather conditions2temperature and humidity3. The collected data is !eing used inthe performance evaluation of the !ridges with respect to thefollowing effects6 live load% sustained load% environmental%thermal% and fatigue.


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?alker 2)**@3

The paper !y ?alker 2)**@3 descri!es a !ridge installed over theBo Bame 'reek west of Russell% C"% which was opened to

traffic in Bovem!er )**-. The !ridge was made in threesections% each >.E< m 2* ft3 wide !y E.) m 2>; ft3 long% which isthe length of the !ridge. The sections were assem!led at the!ridge site. "train gages were installed in the core for field >@monitoring. The !ridge was designed to withstand standardhighway traffic loads as specified !y the AA":T8 standards. Itwas made entirely of fi!erglass and resin. Two fi!erglass plates

sandwiching a fi!erglass honeycom! core form the !ridge deck.A polymer concrete wearing surface was installed on the topsurface to improve traction. It took two working days to installthis composite !ridge.


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Figure ;.-. lan view of core of the deck system 2?alker )**@3

A plan view of the core of the deck system used in this !ridge isshown in Figure ;.-. The advantage of this core geometry is that

!y changing the period or amplitude of the sine wave the!ehavior can !e easily modified. Furthermore% the sine wavescan !e connected to a flat plate as shown inFigure ;.E 2a3% or alternatively they could !e connected only tothe facings as shown in Figure ;.E 2!3.


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2a3

2!3Figure ;.E. 4ifferent core geometries 2?alker )**@3

1ope&,Anido et al. 2)**@3% MangaRao et al. 2)***3% MangaRaoand 'airo 2)***3

In these three papers% two demonstration pro0ects are discussedthat involve two advanced composite !ridges installed onsecondary roads in ?est Qirginia. These !ridges are the 1aurel1ick #ridge 2short,span FR !ridge3 and the ?ickwire Run

#ridge 2FR deck on steel !eams3. The ?est Qirginia4epartment of Transportation 4ivision of :ighways 2?Q48:3!ridge engineers were the lead participants in these efforts.


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#oth !ridge decks were engineered using ,glass FR. The composite deck cross,sectional shape and fi!erarchitecture was designed to withstand highway !ridge loads

while minimi&ing the weight. The core of the decks consists offull,depth he(agons and half,depth trape&oids as shown inFigure ;.@. The decks were !uilt with a depth of >; mm 2@ in3%since this is the typical depth of concrete decks for highway!ridges.

The authors point out that the ultrudedFR' deck modules fa!ricated for these field applications havesome of the advantages of the pultrusion process% namely6 itslow la!or and ; operating costs% minimal production ofmaterial waste% and high production rate. :owever% they alsomention that pultruted FR decks may e(hi!it high stressconcentration at re,entrant angles% which may lead to hori&ontal

shear failure.


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Figure ;.@. 'omponents of the :,4eck 2MangaRao and 'raigo)***3

The deck panels were formed !yconnecting FR deck modules 2>,foot long !y )-,foot width3with shear keys 2)>.E mm 2.= in3 !lind fasteners3 to provide thenecessary interlocking mechanism. In addition% a two,partpolyurethane was used to !ond the FR deck to the FR !eams%to increase the composite action. This adhesive was chosen

!ecause it has good elongation% high peel and energy a!sor!ingproperties% fatigue resistance% environmental resistance% workingtime of at least ; minutes% minimum surface preparation%acceptance of varia!le !ond line thickness% .=,; mm% good gapfilling capa!ilities% and ease of application for field conditions.

The developed FR composite deck modules were

installed transverse to the traffic direction. The depth of thedecks was kept at @ since they were used as replacement to theconventional concrete decks. The connection !etween the FRdeck modules and the steel girders was achieved !y means of.= in diameter !lind fasteners and adhesive !onding. ;) A thinpolymer concrete overlay was applied on the FR deck as the

wearing surface. This was achieved !y first sand!lasting andcleaning the surface of the FR deck followed !y the applicationof a urethane,!ased primer using a !room. The latter was doneto improve the adhesion !etween the overlay and the deck. The


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total thickness of the polymer concrete overlay wasappro(imately ) cm 2;/@ in3.

The 1aurel 1ick #ridge is a short,span !ridgelocated off county route >-/- in 1ewis 'ounty% ?Q. The originalstructure consisted of a of tim!er deck on steel stringers. At thetime of replacement% this structure was in critical condition.;=(>=()>.E mm 2)>()>(.= in3 !eams are used to support thenew FR deck 2Figure ;.*3.

Figure ;.*. 1aurel 1ick #ridge 21ope&,Anido et al. )**@3

The ?ickwire Run #ridge is located off U" Route ))* in Taylor'ounty% ?Q. The !ridge is *.)< m 2;,ft3 long !y -.- m 2>).E,ft3 wide. Four longitudinal galvani&ed steel !eams% spaced ).@;m 2-,ft3 apart% support the modular FR deck 2Figure ;.)3.


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From the field tests% the authors have concluded thatthe performance of developed decks is e(cellent% especially

when they are used as a replacement for concrete decks. This is!ecause FR' decks are much lighter than decks !uilt usingtraditional materials 2for e(ample6 FR' ;> deck weighs *@Cg/m> while concrete/steel decks weigh = 3. They alsomention that they e(pect that the costs associated with FR'applications will decrease significantly as this technology

!ecomes more widely used.

Figure ;.). ?ickwire Run #ridge% ?Q 2MangaRao et al. )***3


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In the work !y 1ope&,Anido et al. 2)**@3 la!oratory testing wasperformed to esta!lish the performance of the developed deck

modules. Two specimens were tested6 one to failure and theother to fatigue. The first specimen% tested to failure% was a>.E*.E kip3.

The o!served failure mode was

interlaminar shear in the pultruded material in the pro(imity ofthe !onded connection. In particular% punching damage on thedeck was not o!served in these e(periments. The second deckspecimen% tested under fatigue loading% was su!0ected to >million cycle loads from * kB 2> kip3 to )=- kB 2;=kip3.Inspection of the tested specimen did not reveal any ;; crackpropagation due to fatigue. After the application of the cyclic

loads the FR deck was tested to failure. It was found that thefailure load decreased only !y a!out of the weight. :owever% they are more fle(i!le when

compared to concrete decks.Thus% in general% servicea!ility 2deflection3 requirementscontrol the design of FR composite decks. This is !ecausee(cessive deformation can cause premature deterioration of thewearing surface as well as it can affect the performance of the


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fasteners. In the work !y MangaRao et al. 2)***3% !othcomponents and deck modules were tested in the la!oratory.

Three,point static !ending tests were

conducted on !oth he(agonal and dou!letrape&oid componentspecimens with three different spans6 -% @() patch load% intended to simulate a wheel load ofan AA":T8 standard truck% and a strip load using a -,inch wideplate intended to cause the ma(imum !ending strains% wereapplied to the specimens. The deck module testing included

static and fatigue !ending tests on ;,ft long simply supporteddeck modules.8nly the patch load was used in

the fatigue tests. For the fatigue tests% a sinusoidal load rangingfrom > to ;= kips at a rate of ; cycles per second was applied ata ma(imum of > million cycles. From the static !ending tests% itwas found that the fle(ural rigidity of an FR composite

component is a!out one half of the fle(ural rigidity of anuncracked concrete component% and a!out ;.E times of thefle(ural rigidity of a cracked concrete component. For thefatigue tests two FR deck specimens were used. 8ne wassu!0ected to a prior load history 2two million fatigue cycles3%while the other had no load history.

From the results of the staticfailure tests% it was found that !oth specimens e(perienced a!outthe same ma(imum ;< deflection and failure load. Thus% theprior load history was found to have no significant effect on thestrength and stiffness of FR deck. The authors conclude once


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again that FR has an e(cellent energy a!sor!ing capa!ility.The ultimate load capacity of the tested FR composite deckspecimens e(ceeded the AA":T8,:">= load !y an e(cess of

a!out ) kips. The failure mode of the dou!le,trape&oidcomponent was such that it failed at the 0unction of we! andflange at the applied load location. The failure mechanismconsisted initially of we! !uckling at the applied load locationand propagated on !oth sides of the load patch. For the dou!le,trape&oid component% failure occurred at the we!,flange

0unction. This was attri!uted to the less thansatisfactory fi!er wet,out and high stress concentration &onesnear the re,entrant angles of these specimens. In the work !yMangaRao and 'raigo 2)***3% a third demonstration !ridgelocated in Russell% CA is discussed. In this application% a'ellular deck system using multi,cellular panels made of ,glass

and polyester resin connected !y wide,flange :,sections wasused 2Figure ;.))3. This type of system was also successfullyused in the construction of a !uilding in ?eston% ?Q% in )**


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Figure ;.)). 1ayout of the 'ellular deck panel 2MangaRao and

'raigo )***31ope&,Anido et al. 2)***3

In the study !y 1ope&,Anido etal. 2)***3 high,temperature fatigue tests were performed on anFR,concrete !ridge deck. In this application% the deck wasmade of FR pultruded panels% which served as stay,in,place

formwork as well as reinforcement for concrete 2Figure ;.)>3.


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Figure ;.)>. FR,'oncrete deck and test set,up 21ope&,Anidoet al. )***3

The pultruded panels were


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achieved !y means of epo(y coating and sand spraying the topsurface. The total depth of the deck was >; mm 2@in3% includingthe FR panels. ,glass !i,directional top reinforcement was

used to improve the !ond with concrete. "ince no specificationis currently in place for fatigue performance evaluation of FRconcrete sla!s% one million load cycles at a controlled high,temperature 2


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Foster et al. 2>3

In the work !y Foster et al. 2>3% a ),m,long !y E.;,m,wide2;;(>< ft3 MFR composite highway !ridge installed in #utler'ounty% 8hio is descri!ed. #oth the support !eams and the deckwere !uilt using composite materials. In order to keep the cost ofthe application down% the composite !ridge components 2deckand the support !eams3 were made of ,glass fi!ers in an

isopolyester resin matri(. Mlass fi!ers cost a!out ) less thancar!on fi!ers 2often used in the aerospace industry3 andisopolyester resins cost less than structural epo(y resin. This!ridge% referred to as Tech >)% was open to traffic in Duly)**E. Figure ;.); shows the developed FR composite !eamand Figure ;.)< 2a3 and 2!3 shows the assem!lage of support!eams.


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Figure ;.);. FR support !eam 2Foster et al. >3

In this application% asphalt was used for the

wearing surface. ven though% the weight of the asphalt layerwas larger than that of the deck% the AA":T8 :",> loadrequirement was satisfied. It should !e noted that most FR!ridge decks developed in the U.". have adopted a polymerconcrete surface% since it is lighter in weight than asphalt.:owever% the authors 0ustify their choice !y the fact that

highway crews are more accustomed to using asphalt% especiallyfor resurfacing.

In this work% it is reported that the totalinstallation time of the FR composite !ridge was si( weeks.The authors claim that the erection of an equivalent reinforcedconcrete !ridge would take ten weeks. In addition% the weight of

the FR !ridge is ).= tons% while an equivalent R' !ridgewould weigh @* tons.


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2a3


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2!3Figure ;.)3

The !ridge was su!0ected to live loadsslightly lower than the required !y AA":T8 :",>. Figure;.)= illustrates this test% where the loading was applied !y means

of two heavy,duty trucks fully loaded with sand. Themeasurements were o!tained with >@ steel strain transducerse(ternally installed for si( different a(le locations. Thema(imum load in the test series was a static load of -


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$a 2>% l!/in> 3. In addition% the deflection curve o!tainedwas compara!le to that of a compara!le steel span.

Figure ;.)=. 1ive load test of the Tech >) !ridge 2Foster et al.>3

The long,term performance of the FR !ridge is !eingmonitored using the twenty fi!er optic sensors and )>mechanical sensors that were em!edded in the !ridge. Theauthors of this work e(pect that the findings from this research


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will !e used in the development of the new AA":T8 composite!ridge standards.

:ayes et al. 2>3

The work !y :ayes et al. 2>3 studies the feasi!ility ofutili&ing a composite !ridge deck as a replacement fordeteriorated !ridge decks or for new construction. $orespecifically% quasistatic and fatigue were performed on a

prototype composite !ridge deck section. In these tests% ()>(-.;=,mm,thick square

tu!es sandwiched !etween two pultruded *.=;,mm,thick platesformed the studied deck section 2Figure ;.)-3. The dimensionsof the specimen are E,m in length% ).>>,m in width% and )>),mm in depth. The material of the plates and tu!es was formed!y unidirectional and continuous strand mat glass fi!ers in anisophthalic polyester resin. The tu!es were connected using

studs and nuts% and epo(y adhesive% while the top plates werefastened using epo(y adhesive. The prototype deck panel did notinclude a wearing surface% since it was assumed that such asurface would not significantly affect its structural response.


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"teel girders 2?)-(>,m% and the orientation of the

square tu!es was transversal to the steel girders. The connection!etween the deck and the girders was achieved with steel !olts%which passed through holes drilled through the deck and topflanges of the steel !eams. Flat steel washers were used toprevent the !olt head from !earing directly on the top compositeplate. A !earing pad was placed !etween the top flange of each

?)-(


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2a3

2!3

Figure ;.)-. The studied FR deck6 2a3 "ide view9 2!3 nd view2:ayes et al. >3

The prototype deck panel was su!0ected tothree types of tests. The first one was a static service load test inthe middle span of the deck9 the second was a static loading tofailure on the left end9 and the third was a fatigue performanceand residual strength test 2fatigue up to ;%% cycles%followed !y static loading to failure on the right end of thedeck3. A =@(;=, mm loading patch was used to simulate awheel load on the top surface of the deck. Figure ;.)E shows thefailure modes of the deck panel6 2a3 shear failure of tu!es aroundload patch% 2!3 shear failure of the fi!er !olt% and 2c3 top surfacecracking of the deck panel.


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Failure of the deck occurred at ;-* kB fordeck in as,received condition and ;-* kB for decks su!0ected

previously to fatigue strength test. These loads are a!out fourtimes the design wheel load% which is *>.- kB. Therefore% theauthors conclude that strength should not control design. Themidspan deflections of the deck panel under design wheel loadwere ;.@)% ;.@)% and mm for the service load test% the asreceived test% and the post,fatigue strength test% respectively.

It was found that even though the proposeddeck system used off,the,shelf pultruded sections% it met thenecessary strength performance criteria. :owever% thedeflections were found to control the design when using theAA":T8 criterion for limits of live load deflection for steel%aluminum% and concrete construction. This criterion was used

!ecause no criterion is availa!le for FR compositeconstruction.

At the ultimate failure mode% shear failureof the top and !ottom deck flanges were o!served. ven after;%% cycles of a fatigue load in e(cess of the design wheel

load% no change in stiffness or strength of the deck waso!served. Finally% it was found that the connections !etweendeck and girder did not negatively impact the performance of thedeck under static or fatigue loading.


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2A3

2!3


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2c3

Figure ;.)E. 2a3 "hear failure of tu!es around load patch% 2!3"hear failure of the fi!er !olt% and 2c3 Top surface cracking ofthe deck panel 2:ayes et al. >3

8hio 48T 2>3

The 8hio 4epartment of Transportation

spearheaded a study to evaluate different types of FR deckpanels to replace a deteriorated reinforced concrete deck of afive,span continuous haunched steel plate girder !ridge. Thisdemonstration pro0ect is known as the "alem Avenue #ridge.This !ridge carries si( lanes of traffic and consists of twinstructures with a longitudinal 0oint and a


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manufactured !y the following four manufacturers6 'reativeultrusions 2'3% 'omposite 4eck "olutions 2'4"3% :ardcore'omposites 2:'3% and Infrastructure 'omposites International

2I'I3 in colla!oration with Cansas "tructural 'omposites2C"'I3. The '4" system 2Figure ;.)@2a33 is the most similar toconventional reinforced concrete decks. This system uses FRstay,in,place forms to support the concrete deck and serve as!ottom reinforcement% and MFR !ars for the top reinforcement.The ' deck system is formed !y !onding interlocking

pultruded FR tu!es that are installed in the directionperpendicular to the girders 2Figure ;.)@2!33. The :' and theI'I deck systems are similar. #oth of these panels consist of alightweight FR core sandwiched !y high strength FR skins. Inthe : system% the core consists of foam !locks wrapped withfi!er cloth 2Figure ;.)@2c33. The I'I panel+s core is made ofcorrugated glass fi!er reinforced sheets 2Figure ;.)@2d33. 8n all

three FR deck panels 2'% :'% and I'I3 a ;/@,inch,thickpolymer wearing surface manufactured and installed !y oly,'ar!% Inc.% was applied. rior to the application of this wearingsurface% the decks+ surfaces were lightly sand!lasted.

2A3


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2!3

2c3

2d3Figure ;.)@. 4ifferent types of FR !ridge decks 2a3 'omposite4eck "olutions% 2!3 'reative utrusions% 2c3 :ardcore'omposites% and 2d3 Infrastructure 'omposites International


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This demonstration application was evaluated!y a third party evaluation team. This team was charged with theidentification of potential maintenance and servicea!ility

pro!lems in the application. A num!er of potential pro!lemswere identified !y the team6

In !oth the :' and I'I deck panels% !oth delamination and

de!onding in panel skins were detected visually and vianondestructive testing. The evaluation team recommended

that this issue !e addressed !y the manufacturers. "ome of the '% : and I'I deck panels lift off the haunch

as much as )/)- in. Therefore% the connections !etweengirder and deck may !e inappropriate. This pro!lem wasnot anticipated and therefore not used as a criterion !y848T or the manufacturers. The evaluation teamrecommended that manufacturers together with 848T to

devise uniform !earing. The wearing surface cracked a!ove the field 0oints of the

'% : and I'I deck panels% which indicates that these0oints are not working properly. This indicates that theoly,'ar!+s wearing surface was not fle(i!le enough toallow for this movement. 4uring the evaluation team+s

investigation% the cracks were repaired with FR fa!ricreinforcement% which seem to have solved the pro!lem.

:airline cracking was o!served on the surface of the '4"

deck. The cover was )/> to ;/< inch less than therecommended > inches. The concrete deck was sealed with


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highmolecular,weight methcrylate 2:$?$3. :owever%the team recommended that future designs consider theelastic modulus of the MFR !ars in the determination of

the amount of shrinkage. Doint !etween different deck systems did not work

properly. This was caused !ecause the different decks haddifferent stiffness. The displacement differentials measuredranged from


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4// *RP De%5 M#)6#%!)rers

A num!er of composite deck panel manufacturers% which were

originally dedicated to other industries such as the automotiveand aerospace industries% have !een alternatively refocusingtheir scope to the civil engineering industry. As mentioned in'hapter >% the manufacturers that have participated in most ofthe developed field applications are mem!ers of the $arket4evelopment Alliance of the FR 'omposites Industry 2$4A3.

ach FR deck manufacturer has a demonstrated system that isapplica!le to a target application. The manufacturer mem!ers of$4A of FR deck panels are provided in this "ection.

;TO% Inc

This manufacturer is located in 'ary% Borth 'arolina. ?hile;TO has !een involved in areas of application such as theautomotive% defense% recreational% etc.% it has recently !egun tomanufacture low,profile composite !ridge decks and pedestrian!ridges 2girder spacing ranging to ; ft3. Their system%referred to as TN'8R % is composed !y a foam core reinforced

in the ,direction sandwiched !y fi!erglass fa!ric skins 2Figure;.)*3. This system is intended as a competitor to conventionalcorrugated steel decks. This manufacturer has completed oneapplication in $ontgomery 'ounty% 8hio% and is currentlydeveloping a second application ?AF#% 8hio.


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Figure ;.)*. TN'8R !ridge deck panels

'reative ultrusions% Inc.

This manufacturer operates in two locations6 Alum #ank%ennsylvania and Roswell% Bew $e(ico. Their products are

manufactured using the pultrusion process. Their !ridge deckpanel% referred to as "uperdeck% is formed the pultrusion and!onding of a dou!le trape&oid and a he(agonal section to form a!ridge deck module 2Figure ;.>3. This deck is > lighter thanreinforced concrete% !ut the factor of safety is -,toE over the


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design load. These deck panels are designed to comply with theAA":T8 :">= requirements. Among the applicationsdeveloped !y this manufacturer are the following !ridges in

8hio6 the 1aurel 1ick #ridge% the ?ickwire . "uperdeck !ridge deck panels

H#rd%ore Co7'osi!es

This company is located in Bew 'astle% 4elaware. :ardcorecomposites has served mainly the marine infrastructure industry.


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In )**= the manufactured their first FR !ridge deck% which wasinstalled in 4elaware. This manufacturer uses the QacuumAssisted Resin Transfer $olding 2QART$3 process to

manufacture their !ridge deck panels% which consist of ahoneycom! structural core 2to transfer shear3 sandwiched !yFR face,skins 2to provide fle(ural stiffness3 2Figure ;.>)3. TheQART$ process allows for the development of monolithicstructures% and for the tailoring of the face,skins. Their deckscan !e designed to satisfy AA":T8 :">= and the 1/@

deflection criterion. :ardcore composites is designing andfa!ricating the !ridges of ro0ect ) 28hio state initiative3. Thefollowing are the !ridges manufactured !y this company% whichare in service6 $aga&ine 4itch #ridge 24elaware3% =?ashington "chool :ouse Road #ridge 2$aryland3% $uddyRun #ridge 24elaware3% #ennett+s #ridge 2Bew Nork3% ?ilson+s#ridge 2ennsylvania3% Mreen!ranch Trail #ridge 24elaware3%

$ill 'reek #ridge 24elaware3% a !ridge in lmira 2Bew Nork3%and part of the "alem Avenue #ridge 28hio3.


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Figure ;.>). :ardcore+s !ridge deck panels

Cansas "tructural 'omposites% Inc.6

This company was formed in )**= and it is located in Russell%Cansas. The area of concentration of C"'I% Inc. is the

application of FR !ridge deck panels to deteriorating highwayinfrastructure. Their first application in colla!oration withInfrastructure 'omposites% International 2I'I3 from "an 4iego%'alifornia% is the Bo,Bame 'reek #ridge in Cansas% was


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developed in )**-. Their deck system consists of a fi!erreinforced polymer honeycom! =) 2FR:3 core sandwiched !ycomposite panels 2Figure ;.>>3. This company+s !ridge deck

meets the AA":T8 :">= standard requirements. 8therapplications developed !y C"'I are the two FR !ridge decksinstalled on Cansas "tate :ighway )>-.

Figure ;.>>. 'ross,section of FR: deck panel

$artin $arietta 'omposites% Inc.6

This company is a su!sidiary of $artin $arietta $aterials2$$$3% which is a ma0or supplier of aggregates in the U.".$artin $arietta 'omposites% Inc. 2$$'3 was esta!lished topursue the application of advanced composites to highwayinfrastructure. Their !ridge deck panel is the 4ura"pan


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2Figure ;.>;3% which has !een designed to satisfy stiffnessrequirements. Their main goal is to minimi&e the amount ofmaterial and still satisfy AA":T8 :">= deflection requirement.

4ura"pan+s geometry uses stitched fa!rics with engineeredorientations and it is fa!ricated using pultrusion. $$'+scompleted and active pro0ects include6 road test panels2University of 'alifornia% "an 4iego3% 4ARA Task )- #ridge28hio3% IB1 #ridge => 2Idaho3% 8hio+s First All,'omposite#ridge 28hio3% Cing+s "tormwater 'hannel #ridge 2'alifornia3%

Route


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CHAPTER 8

*RP *OR NEW HIGHWAY BRIDGES

4ue to severe environmental conditions and the use of salt forde,icing roads in 'anada% the use ofFRs for !ridge girders%deck sla!s and !arrier walls has !een used for several new!ridges. These pro0ects were completed through networking andcolla!oration !etween I"I" 'anada and various provincial andmunicipal highway departments across the country. 4ue to a

lack of codes and standards for the use of FR for !ridges andstructures% I"I" 'anada has undertaken the challenge oflaunching a comprehensive research program for each fieldapplication using a new design approach to e(amine the variousaspects of the strength requirements% severicea!ilityperformance and the dura!ility of these materials. In the case ofthe Taylor #ridge in :eadingley% $anito!a% the research

included an e(perimental program conducted at the Universityof $anito!a using full,scale models to e(amine !ehaviour andprovide design guidelines for the construction details used in the!ridge. The following section reviews the design andconstruction of three !ridges in $anito!a% Lue!ec and Al!ertawhich have !een completed using a variety of FRs in terms of

the type of fi!re and reinforcement and which% in some cases%have !een com!ined with the new design concept of the steel,free deck.


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8/1 TAY,OR BRIDGE

The Taylor #ridge is located on rovincial Road Bo. ;;< over

the Assini!oine River in the parish of :eadingley% $anito!a.The total length of the !ridge is )-=.) metres 2=.

Figure 6 ) 1ayout of the !ridge


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Figure >6 'ross,section of the girders at the mid,span and end

!lock.

Two different types of car!on FRreinforcements were used. 'ar!on fi!re composite ca!les2'F''3 of )=.> mm diameter% produced !y Tokyo Rope $fg.'o.% 1td. of Dapan% were used to pretension two girders while theother two girders were pretensioned using ) mm diameter

indented 1eadline !ars% produced !y $itsu!ishi 'hemical'orporation of Dapan% as shown in Figure ;. Two of the fourgirders were reinforced for shear using )=.> mmdiameter 'F''stirrups and l8( = mm 1eadline !ars of rectangular crosssection. The other two !eams were reinforced for shear using )=mm diameter epo(y coated steel re!ars.


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Figure ;6 4etails or reinforcement of girder prestressed !y'F''.

A two,lane width of the deck sla! was reinforced !y ) mmdiameter indented 1eadline !ars similar to the reinforcement

used for prestressing% as shown in Figure


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connection !etween the !arrier wall and the deck sla!. $aterialproperties of FR reinforcement used in the !ridge are shown inTa!le ).

Figure


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the 1eadline !ars and the steel anchorage to reduce thetransverse stresses in the !ars. #oth anchorage systems weresupplied !y the manufacturers of the reinforcement.

A typical !ridge girder waspretensioned using )>.E mm steel strands with a cross sectionalarea of **. mm> S The ultimate tensile strength and modulus ofthe steel were )@- $a and )* Ma% respectively. po(y,coated )= mm steel re!ars with a yield stress of


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In addition% > thermocouples were used at different location ofthe !ridge to compensate for the temperature change. A ;>,channel fi!re optic grating strain indicator 2F1" ;=R3% shown

in Figure =% is used for strain measurements. The system isconnected to a computer to download the strain readings using atelephone line. A general description for the fi!re optic sensingtechnique used for Taylor #ridge is given in Figure -.

Figure =. Fi!re optic multiple(ing and recording units.


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Figure -6 8ptical sensing technology.

8/- Cro$%hi9d Bridge

The 'rowchild #ridge is located in 'algary% Al!erta. The!ridges superstructure and the prestressed concrete !o( girderswere demolished in $ay )**E and replaced !y a newsuperstructure system using steel girders% a steel,free concrete

deck for the intermediate deck spans and glass FR for thecantilever sidewalks. ',#ar 2MFR3 reinforcements of )= mmdiameter% produced !y $arshall Industries 'omposites Inc. ofthe United "tates% was used to reinforce the two cantileversidewalks including the top reinforcements of the ad0acent sla!sas shown in Figure E. The composite action !etween the steel,

free deck and the steel girder was achieved !y using Belsonstuds welded to the top flange of the steel girder and the steelstraps required for the arch action mechanism in the steel,freedeck as shown in Figure @. The !ridge was instrumented with @)


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strain gauges% )* em!edded gauges% five thermisters% three smartglass re!ars and two fi!re optic gauges.

A wireless data acquisition system which consists of a >


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Figure @6 "teel straps for the arch action mechanism of the steel,free deck.

8/ 0o66re Bridge +

The Doffre #ridge% located over the "aint,Francois River in"her!rooke% consists of five spans 2>- to ;= meters3. Thesuperstructure is supported !y steel girders spaced ;.E meters ina composite action of the deck sla!. 'onstruction started inAugust )**E and the !ridge opened to traffic on 4ecem!er -%)**E.

'ar!on FR BF$A' grids were used toreinforce the deck sla!s. The BF$A' was produced !yAutocon 'omposites Inc. of Borth Nork% 8ntario. "ome of the'FR BF$A' grid was instrumented using structurally,


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integrated fi!re optic sensors during the manufacturing process%as shown in Figure *. The grids were used to reinforce a portionof the deck sla! of the !ridge side,!y,side with conventional

steel reinforcements to e(amine the effectiveness of this materialin increasing the service life of the !ridge% as shown in Figure). The !ridge is e(tensively instrumented using fi!re opticsensors% vi!rating wire strain sensors and electric resistancestrain. All sensors are connected to telephone lines forcontinuous monitoring of the !ridge from remote locations.

Figure *6 "tructurally,integratedfi!re optic sensors in theBF$A'.


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CHAPTER :

STRENGTHENING WITH *RP

$ore than


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from 'omposite Retrofit International Inc. were used% see Figure)). FR was needed in this case to increase the confmement ofthe concrete% as well as providing a protective surface to the

crum!led and cracked concrete surface.

Figure ))6 "trengthening of the pier of the 'hamplain #ridge.

:/- M#ry9#d Bridge

'ar!on FR is planned to !e used to strengthen the shearcapacity of the I,shaped concrete AA":T8 girders of the


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$aryland #ridge in ?innipeg% $anito!a. The !ridge was !uilt>E years ago. Analysis of the precast prestressed concrete girdersindicates a deficiency in the shear capacity using the current

AA":T8 code. A ) 6;= scale model of the !ridge girder wastested using three different types of'FR and si( configurationschemes% as shown in Figure )>. The diagonal configuration forthe car!on FR was found to !e the most effective configurationin reducing the tensile force in the stirrup.

Figure )>6 roposed configuration of'FR sheets for $aryland

#ridge.

CHAPTER ;


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CONC,USION AND *UTURE O* *RP *OR

BRIDGE APP,ICATIONS

In spite of the lack of codes and standards% several !ridges have!een !uilt around the world using car!on FRs for prestressingand/or reinforcing of the concrete structural girders% deck sla!and !arrier wall. The design is !ased on a rational approach ofthe material characteristics which was relatively simple due tothe linear !ehaviour of the FRs to failure. FRs were also used

to strengthen e(isting !ridges due to the increased demand forheavier truck loads. The strengthening was in the form ofwrapping columns to increase the strength and ductility as wellas to increase fle(ure and shear capacity of the girders. $ost ofthe field applications have !een instrumented for continuousmonitoring to provide data related to the materials long,term

!ehaviour and to ensure safety of the !ridge !y monitoring theirperformance under service loading conditions.

The high strength% high fatigue

resistance% lightweight% and corrosion resistance ofcomposites are highly desira!le characteristics for !ridge

applications.'urrently% these new materials are a directtechnology transfer from the aerospace industry% and they are farmore advanced than those required !y civil applications. $ostof the advanced composite materials that are cured at high


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temperature produce high quality components and possesse(cellent characteristics.

In !ridge applications% resins as

the !inders for the fi!re and adhesives for 0oints andconnections that can adequately cure at am!ient temperatureand still offer compara!le quality and characteristics aremore desira!le and practical. $ore research is needed todevelop the most effective and dura!le resin formulations.$ore efficient manufacturing and effective production

methods for large volume panels and higher modulusmaterials are needed to make it more cost effective forcomposites to compete in the civil infrastructure. At the presenttime% the direct use of fi!re composites from the aerospaceindustry is not cost effective as compared to conventionalmaterials in !ridge applications.

In the paper reha!ilitation and

strengthening of three !ridges !y using FR compositeswere considered. The results were tested and found to !esatisfactory in all the cases. In R8# at DBT static anddynamic load tests were carried out and it was found thatthe strains and accelerations were reduced su!stantially. Inthe case of $ithi River #ridge at $um!ai Airport load tests

were carried out to test whether it will !e a!le to take the load oflarger aircrafts and the results were positive. The !ridge atB:E% #angalore showed su!stantial reduction in live cracksand no distress is seen to present date.


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These results have proven theeffectiveness of these FR materials for usage in civil structuresespecially in the case of !ridges. The main concern with FR

composites is long,term dura!ility !ecause the materials donot have sufficient historical performance data in !ridgeapplications. There is a concern among !ridge engineers forthe long,term integrity of !onded 0oints and components undercyclic fatigue loading. There are concerns with improper curingof the resins and moisture a!sorption and/or ultraviolet light

e(posure of composites that may affect the strength and stiffnessof the structural system. 'ertain resin systems are foundineffective in the presence of moisture. In the case of aglass fi!re composite% moisture a!sorption may affect theresin and allow the alkali to degrade the fi!res.

If the cost constraint is kept aside% the fi!erwrapping system has !een proved to !e a system which has

many added advantages over conventional strengtheningprocesses. It has !een proved in la!oratory as well in real civilpro0ects that this system is effective and is useful in real life.As the economy is moving ahead and infrastructuredevelopment is catching its pace% demand for fi!erreinforced polymer in civil construction is slowly increasing

and !ecoming accepta!le.

CHAPTER


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RE*ERENCES

References

)3 Radomski ?.% #ridge Reha!ilitation% Imperial 'ollege ress>3 A'I 'ommittee =,;-.=3 $eier :.% 'lenin R.% #asler $.% !ridge strengthening withadvanced composite systems% "ika "ervices AM% 5rich%

Documents

Bridge Strengthening Using Advanced Composite System