Condition Assessment Of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Strengthening Of Bridge Components

Abstract

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) is a newly developed composite type of material which have many advantages over conventional materials (concrete and steel) like light weight, non-corrosive nature, design flexibility and quick installation. Due to its superior thermo-mechanical properties, it has emerged as one of the best economical method to strengthen and repair reinforced concrete bridges that were damaged each year due to various reasons like structural deterioration over time, fire accidents, corrosion of steel reinforcement and over height vehicle collision. This research aims to evaluate the long term performance of FRP strengthened bridge components with the help of Pull-Off tests. It will also recommend certain guidelines to be followed during the time of repair for the better performance of FRP. In this study a total of eight concrete bridges in the DFW area, that were damaged in the past and strengthened using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) wrap were identified and later Pull-Off tests were performed on selected test locations of the bridge components as per the specifications of ASTM D7522/D7522M (2009) .After evaluation of the Pull-Off test results it was determined that the overall performance of FRP is good.