Strengthening of Deteriorating Decks of Highway Bridges in Indiana Using FRPC

Many industries, such as the aerospace and the automotive industries have successfully used Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites (FRPC). These types of composite materials offer significant advantages over conventional civil engineering materials, such as concrete and steel. This is due to their chemical and corrosion resistance, lightweight, and high strength, which make them attractive for the rehabilitation of civil infrastructures. The objective of this research project is to study the feasibility of using of FRP as a retrofit or construction material for bridge decks. This has been accomplished by means of a synthesis study. This study included a comprehensive literature review of externally bonded FRPC strengthening systems and of the current state of knowledge on technologies involved in the design and construction of FRPC bridge decks, and a web-based survey of other state Departments of Transportations (DOTs) on their use of FRPC materials for bridge decks. Introduction The service life of bridges is often reduced due to the corrosion of steel reinforcing bars in bridge decks and to the cracking caused by loading in excess to the original design values due to increased traffic volumes. In Indiana, numerous bridges are in need of upgrading or rehabilitation. Current upgrading practices include replacing the part of deteriorated portion of the deck structure by patching damaged areas or replacing the whole deck structure. Both of these practices have drawbacks. The first is time-consuming and provides only a short-term solution, while the latter is expensive and causes severe traffic disruption. Therefore, alternative solutions should be devised for the rehabilitation and upgrading of deteriorated bridge decks in Indiana. Many industries, such as the aerospace and the automotive industries have successfully used Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites (FRPC). These types of composite materials offer significant advantages over conventional civil engineering materials, such as concrete and steel. This is due to their chemical and corrosion resistance, lightweight, and high strength, which make them attractive for the rehabilitation of civil infrastructures. Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures by bonding external steel plates and composite plates or sheets is an effective method for improving structural performance under both service and ultimate load conditions. A main disadvantage of using steel plates is the potential for corrosion at the epoxy/steel interface with consequent reduction in bond strength when exposed to harsh environments. Composite plates or sheets, on the other hand, offer several advantages over their steel counterparts, such as ease bondage to irregular …