FHWA/IN/JTRP-2000/3 Final Report MONITORING OF LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF HIGHWAY BRIDGE COLUMNS RETROFITTED BY ADVANCED COMPOSITE JACKETS IN INDIANA

The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Federal Highway Administration and the Indiana Department of Transportation. This report does not constitute a standard, specification or regulation. The service life of highway bridges is limited by the deterioration of their substructure components. In the U.S., it is estimated that more than 240,000 (about 40%) of the highway bridges are functionally or structurally deficient. Repairing these deteriorated bridges using traditional methods is usually time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, these methods are such that they can cause a number of problems, such as being a threat to public safety and severe traffic disruption. Thus, it is important that new safer and more efficient methods be developed. Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP) have a great potential to provide such a solution. Due to their superior material properties, such as corrosion-resistance and cost-effectiveness, FRP composite materials have been effectively used in a wide variety of applications in a number of industries. In recent years, prototype projects in civil infrastructure have demonstrated the effectiveness and the benefits of the use FRP in this industry. However, the long-term performance of FRP-wrapped columns, under severe environmental conditions has not yet been fully assessed, and thus requires further investigation. This research assesses their performance in terms of corrosion resistance and freeze-thaw effect. This has been accomplished through field monitoring, field inspection, and laboratory tests.. . Introduction In the summer of 1997, the bridge piers at the junction of Indiana state highway I-69 and U.S.14 were repaired by the GFRP (Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics) wrapping system, which is one of the applications of advanced composites. There are several reasons why this bridge was in need of rehabilitation. First, the use of deicing salt caused the bridge piers to deteriorate due to corrosion. Secondly, aging, heavy traffic loads, and severe environmental conditions, such as extremely cold temperatures and large temperature changes magnified this deterioration process. These types of composite materials have been used extensively in the West Coast, especially in California, primarily for seismic rehabilitation, and in some eastern states for corrosion protection or strengthening. They have also been used in many other industries, such as aerospace, automotive, chemical, shipbuilding, etc., for decades. Due to their superior material properties, such as corrosion-resistance and …