Mechanical Integrity and Sustainability of Pre-Stressed Concrete Bridge Girders Repaired by Epoxy Injection - Phase II

During pre-stress transfer, the bottom portion of steel-reinforced concrete girders is subjected to an important compression induced by the relaxation of tension in the bars, which opens longitudinal cracks along the horizontal axis. Reactions at the supports induce shear stress, which sometimes translates into additional diagonal cracks at the ends of the girders. During the subsequent lifespan of the girder, a variety of crack patterns can occur, including longitudinal (along the beam axis), transverse (perpendicular to the beam axis), and diagonal cracks. At present, there is a need to assess the mechanical integrity and sustainability of pre-stressed concrete beams during the entire life cycle of the built infrastructure, including crack propagation and reparation. As such, this three-phase research program seeks to develop modeling strategies to predict the behavior of cracked concrete repaired by epoxy. The subject of this technical report is the Phase II research effort, which includes the numerical simulation of fracture patterns in concrete and the numerical assessment of damaged concrete reparation by epoxy injection. Preliminary models were presented in Phase I and the experimental data supporting the calibration and validation of the models proposed in Phase II is presented in the final report of Phase III. This report summarizes simulation results obtained at molecular, aggregate and metric scales. The authors show that High Molecular Weight Metacrylate (HMWM) deposition allows mechanical recovery of plain concrete, reinforced concrete and pre-stressed concrete members. Design recommendations are provided to optimize the use of HMWM for concrete reparation.

• Record URL:
  http://g92018.eos-intl.net/eLibSQL14_G92018_Documents/17-08.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

  School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332

  Georgia Department of Transportation

  Office of Performance-based Management and Research
  600 West Peachtree St. NW
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30308

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Arson, Chloe
  • Ji, Koochul
• Publication Date: 2020-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 156p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cracking; Epoxides; Fracture mechanics; Girders; Prestressed concrete bridges; Repairing; Simulation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01761842
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-GA-21-1708, 17-08
• Contract Numbers: 0015712
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 11 2020 4:04PM