Performance Evaluation of an FRP-Reinforced Concrete Bridge

As part of a larger project to investigate the use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials in bridge construction, a short-span FRP-reinforced concrete bridge was installed in central Missouri. The Walters Street Bridge is a precast concrete panel bridge reinforced with both glass FRP (GFRP) and carbon FRP (CFRP) reinforcing bars. It was designed according to the American Concrete Institute’s document “Guide for the Design and Construction of Concrete Reinforced with FRP Bars” to meet the load and deflection requirements of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Carbon FRP, as tensile reinforcement, and glass FRP, as shear reinforcement, were utilized. The installation of the bridge is outlined and the results of material testing conducted on the reinforcing bars and concrete are summarized. An in-situ bridge load test was conducted, with a comparison made between the design and experimental values of maximum deflection and a discussion of the load transfer between panels is presented. Testing to determine the flexural and shear capacity of the panels was also conducted on an identical FRP-reinforced bridge panel in the laboratory; results in terms of a load-deflection diagram, ultimate load, and the failure mode of the beam are noted herein. The outcomes of these laboratory tests are further compared to the testing results of a steel-reinforced panel with the same ultimate capacity that was tested in an identical fashion. Stone, D., A. Prota, and A. Nanni, “Performance Evaluation of an FRP-Reinforced Concrete Bridge,” 81 Annual Meeting, TRB, TRB 02-3894, CD ROM Version, Washington, DC, Jan. 13-17, 2002, 9 pp 2