Durability in a Salt Solution of Pultruded Composite Materials Used in Structural Sections for Bridge Deck Applications
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 1
Abstract
This study addresses the durability of glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) pultruded structural sections used in bridge-deck applications, namely, a flat plate with T-shaped ribs (R-GFRP) and a corrugated plate (C-GFRP). Standard coupons were aged for up to 224 days at 23, 40, and 55°C in separate baths of 3% salt solutions simulating deicing conditions. The tensile-strength retentions and Young’s moduli were measured periodically. Data were assessed using ANOVA. Microstructure assessments using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were carried out to provide additional assessment of degradation. It was shown that after 224 days, the tensile strength retentions of the R-GFRP and C-GFRP were similar, and that they decreased from 77 to 63% as the temperature increased from 23 to 55°C. The observed reductions were confirmed by micrographs showing some surface cracks and separations between the fibers and the matrix, but results also showed that the polymer matrix was not fully degraded by the hydrolysis because no significant changes occurred in the glass transition temperature after exposure. When data were fitted in the Arrhenius service-life model, it showed that after 100 years, R-GFRP will suffer more deterioration than C-GFRP because the strength retentions at a location with annual mean temperatures of 10°C were 42 and 61%, respectively.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO). The authors are also grateful to undergraduate student Gergely Mucsi for helping with fabrication of specimens and some of the experiments.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 1 • January 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 7, 2014
Accepted: Dec 16, 2014
Published online: May 28, 2015
Discussion open until: Oct 28, 2015
Published in print: Jan 1, 2016
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