STRENGTHENING TECHNIQUES FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGE SUPERSTRUCTURES. FINAL REPORT, PART III

Rehabilitation and strengthening have become a major focal point for the Nation's aging bridge inventory. Increased demand for higher legal loads and permit overloads as well as uniform rating criteria necessitates the strengthening of a large number of short and medium span bridge structures. Frequently, the strengthening of bridge superstructures goes hand in hand with rehabilitation measures of the bridge deck and the road surface, such as structural concrete overlays or widening measures to accomodate additional traffic lanes. The objective of the performed research was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of various strengthening techniques for reinforced concrete bridge superstructures by means of full-scale experimental testing under controlled laboratory conditions. The rehabilitation and strengthening measures investigated were (1) full depth structural concrete overlays, (2) epoxy injection of cracks, (3) external post-tensioning, and (4) addition of a high strength precast concrete bottom soffit panel. These different rehabilitation measures were subsequently applied to and tested on a 11 ft 6 in. wide and 56 ft long section of an existing cast-in-place reinforced concrete T-girder bridge which was in service for 25 years prior to removal for the above tests. The testing comsisted of forced vibration tests to determine changes in the response characteristics, service level wheel load tests, overload tests, rolling load tests and ultimate limit state tests. A complete account of the various strengthening measures as well as a comprehensive analysis of the test results are presented in this report.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This study was funded jointly by Caltrans and the National Science Foundation.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, San Diego

  Department of Applied Mechanics and Engineering Sciences
  La Jolla, CA  United States  92093-0085

  California Department of Transportation

  Division of Structures, 1801 30th Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  94272-0001
• Authors:
  • Seible, F
  • Priestley, MJN
  • Krishnan, K
• Publication Date: 1990-12

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 174 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Bridge superstructures; Cracking; Driver rehabilitation; Epoxides; Feasibility analysis; Field tests; Laboratory tests; Limit state design; Live loads; Measures of effectiveness; Overlays (Pavements); Oversize loads; Posttensioning; Reinforced concrete; Sealing compounds; Strength of materials; Strengthening (Maintenance); Ultimate load design; Vibration tests; Wheel loads
• Uncontrolled Terms: Crack sealing; Effectiveness; Overloads; Rehabilitation
• Old TRIS Terms: Bottom soffit panels; Epoxy; Test results; Vibrational testing
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00622302
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UCSD/SSRP-90/06
• Contract Numbers: RTA 13945-53D408
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 31 1996 12:00AM