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Title:Structural Fiber Reinforcement to Reduce Deck Reinforcement and Improve Long-Term Performance
Authors:Jared W. McRory, Fray F. Pozo-Lora, Zachary Benson, and Marc Maguire
University:Utah State University
Publication Date:Jun 2020
Report #:MPC-20-413
Project #:MPC-581
TRID #:01744503
Keywords:bridge decks, composite materials, cracking, deflection, ductility, fatigue (mechanics), fiber reinforced polymers, flexural strength, glass fibers, reinforced concrete bridges, service life

 

Abstract

The use of deicing salts on highway bridges has decreased the service life of bridge decks due to the accelerated corrosion of the steel reinforcement. The use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) in bridge decks as a means of corrosion-mitigation has been met with some success; however, GFRP is a linear-elastic material that does not exhibit any plastic behavior prior to rupture. This current work provides a description of an experiment conducted on 14 full-scale 4' x 12' flexural bridge deck specimens and six full-scale 14' x 12' punching shear specimens. The decks contained steelreinforcement, GFRP-reinforcement, or discrete GFRP-reinforcement combined with alkali-resistant fiberglass composite macrofibers.

The investigation consisted of two parts: static testing and the cyclic and post-cyclic testing. The cyclic specimens experienced either one or two million cycles at the service level. The HRC decks exhibited more flexural ductility prior to the rupture of the concrete than both the steel- and GFRP-reinforced deck panels. Under fatigue loading, every deck performed within the AASHTO criteria for service level crack width and deflections. Therefore, based on the results, the HRC reinforcement strategy is viable for both ultimate and service limit states.

How to Cite

McRory, Jared W., Fray F. Pozo-Lora, Zachary Benson, and Marc Maguire. Structural Fiber Reinforcement to Reduce Deck Reinforcement and Improve Long-Term Performance, MPC-20-413. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2020.

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