USE OF FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTICS FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF CONCRETE BRIDGES

The use of fibre reinforced plastics (FRPs) as alternatives to the more traditional civil engineering structural materials such as steel and concrete is developing rapidly in the construction industry. These materials can have considerable advantages in terms of weight, strength and durability. It can be expected that, as the production technology develops and definitive design guidelines become more generally available, these innovative materials will be used more widely to provide cost-effective and durable alternatives. A particular application which is becoming very popular is the use of FRP laminates glued to the exposed surface of beams and slabs to provide additional external reinforcement. These systems were originally developed for the seismic retrofitting of bridge supports and are now being used to provide additional flexural and shear strength to concrete members. The method is economic, easy to install and can be carried out without disrupting the flow of traffic on the bridge. The laminates can be attached without the need for bolting into the concrete substrate, which greatly eases the installation process. A significant advantage is their resistance to corrosion. In spite of the obvious advantages, there is still a lack of information on the behaviour of bridges strengthened using these systems. In response to this, the UK Highways Agency commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to carry out a programme of research into the use of FRPs in bridges generally, and strengthening systems in particular. The overall objective of this research is to produce design guidelines in the form of a UK national standard. Part of this research involves monitoring the in-service behaviour of FRP bridges. This paper briefly describes the use of FRP systems for the strengthening of concrete bridge decks and presents the advantages and disadvantages over traditional strengthening methods. A case study of such an application is presented to illustrate its application and effectiveness. The behaviour of the structure in terms of strain induced by vehicle loads before and after strengthening is compared. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E204151.

• Corporate Authors:

  ROAD ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION OF ASIA AND AUSTRALASIA (REAAA)

  46B, JALAN BOLA TAMPAR 13/14, SECTION 13
  SHAH ALAM,   Malaysia  40100
• Authors:
  • DALY, A F
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 11 p.
• Serial:
  • ROAD ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION OF ASIA AND AUSTRALASIA (REAAA) CONFERENCE, 10TH, 2000, TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Publisher: ROAD ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION OF ASIA AND AUSTRALASIA (REAAA)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Bridges; Concrete; Conferences; Fibers; Loads; Maintenance; Material reinforcement; Plastics; Reinforcing materials; Strength of materials
• ITRD Terms: 3455: Bridge; 3482: Bridge deck; 4755: Concrete; 8525: Conference; 4557: Fibre; 5567: Load; 3847: Maintenance; 7454: Plastic material; 3471: Reinforcement (in mater); 5544: Strength (mater)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00937195
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 5 2003 12:00AM