Repair of GFRP-Reinforced Concrete Bridge Barriers
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 19, Issue 6
Abstract
The Canadian highway bridge design code provides dimensions and reinforcement detailing of concrete bridge barriers reinforced with glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. However, there are no guidelines on the repair of such concrete elements in case of damage caused by vehicle accidents. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of available techniques to repair damaged GFRP-RC bridge barriers. To fulfill this objective, three full-scale, 6.0-m-long, PL-2 concrete bridge barriers, totally reinforced with GFRP bars, were constructed and tested under an equivalent static load, simulating a vehicle crash test. Two different repair techniques, planting and near-surface-mounted (NSM) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars, were used to repair the damaged barriers. Repaired barriers were retested under similar conditions to evaluate the effectiveness of the repair techniques. It is concluded that the repaired GFRP-RC bridge barriers achieved similar capacities to their counterpart control (undamaged) barriers.
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Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Network of Centres of Excellence on Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures (ISIS-Canada) and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for financing this research work. The technical support received from the technical staff in the McQuade Structures Laboratory at the University of Manitoba is greatly acknowledged.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 19 • Issue 6 • June 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 20, 2013
Accepted: Nov 20, 2013
Published online: Jan 21, 2014
Published in print: Jun 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Jun 21, 2014
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