International Concrete Abstracts Portal

Non-destructive evaluation techniques were used to assess the condition of a 40-year old concrete bridge operating in an aggressive marine environment. The bridge’s superstructure includes both reinforced and prestressed concrete one-way slabs, and experienced widening, repairs, and recently strengthening by means of externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. Phase I of the investigation focused on evaluating deterioration of concrete and steel reinforcement by means of in-situ and laboratory testing. A 24 in. by 24 in. [610 by 610 mm] grid was marked on the bottom surface of the supporting slabs to map indicators of physical damage. Measurement of carbonation, pH, chloride content, corrosion potential, and visual inspection were implemented and rendered as layered maps to identify damaged areas. Phase II includes acoustic emission (AE) monitoring under service loads. AE amplitude, duration, energy and hits were analyzed to identify structural activity associated with damage phenomena, such as concrete cracking, slip between corroded reinforcement and surrounding concrete, and debonding of CFRP laminates. The database acquired from Phase I and Phase II was used for damage assessment. Combined results from the different techniques show promise in determining areas of concern with reduced uncertainty than when using a single measurement technique.

During the last decade, the Swedish Road Administration (SRA) has transferred resources from corrective to preventive bridge maintenance. Presently, 10 to 15 percent of the budget is devoted to preventive maintenance whereas corrective maintenance, repair, and reconstruction comprise the remaining 85 to 90 percent. This reallocation has resulted in considerable efficiency gains but further savings are likely to be large. Preventive maintenance aims at measures to maintain the function of the bridge structure. Frequent measures include water washing, cleaning, vegetation removal, crack repair, material refill, and stretching of bridge railings. SRA has defined a series of technical requirements to harmonize the preventive bridge maintenance. Several technical requirements state that a structural element or element part “should be 95 percent clean”. SRA has also developed methods to verify that the technical requirements are fulfilled. However, the scientific basis for the relationship between the technical requirements and the function of the bridge structure is unknown or weak. The verification methods are not always unquestionable. The paper contains a critical review of the technical demands for preventive bridge maintenance in Sweden. Do they adequately promote durability and long-lasting service life? Are the prescribed requirement levels appropriate? Could the technical requirements be replaced by other and better requirements? How do they look like in an international comparison? There is a general belief that performance-specified contracts would be more cost-effective than other contract types. Do the Swedish demands facilitate or obstruct performance-specified contracts for bridge maintenance? The questions are discussed in the paper that also contains a summary of a Swedish pilot study conducted at the Swedish Cement and Concrete Research Institute.

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcements have emerged as alternative to traditional materials for reinforcing new structures and the rehabilitation of existing structures. This paper will present the first field application on the use of FRP reinforcement to rehabilitate a historic arch bridge located in Cambridge, Ontario Canada. The bridge, Main Street Bridge, is a two span concrete bowstring arch bridge built in 1931. As part of the rehabilitation, the existing deck and sidewalks were removed and replaced. Glass FRP (GFRP) reinforcement was used in the deck and sidewalks. The new deck was 200 mm thick and was reinforced with16mm diameter GFRP bars spaced at 300 mm o/c (top longitudinal) and 19mm diameter GFRP bars spaced at 150 mm o/c (bottom longitudinal). The transverse reinforcements were 16mm diameter GFRP bars at 300 mm o/c (top and bottom). The floor beams supporting the deck were deficient in shear and as such Carbon FRP (CFRP) U-wraps were installed transversely over the beam regions that were deficient in shear. The design for the GFRP reinforcement in the deck and the CFRP reinforcement for shear strengthening of the floor beams was according to the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CSA S6-06). The rehabilitation work including condition assessment, FRP designs, and installation of the FRP systems are discussed.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintains over 33,000 on-system bridges. A considerable number of these bridges are damaged each year by extreme events or structural deterioration and must be repaired rapidly. Externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites provide TxDOT with a viable technique for repairing many damaged concrete bridges. CFRP has been used extensively as structural reinforcement for its exceptional engineering properties, simplicity, flexibility, and rapid placement. TxDOT began using CFRP in 1999 and has repaired more than 30 impact-damaged concrete bridges, resulting in considerable time and money savings. This paper summarizes TxDOT’s experience repairing concrete bridges damaged by impact, fire, corrosion, and alkali-silica reaction (ASR), focusing on damage assessment, determination of reparability, and procedures essential for effectiveness. TxDOT engineers have made a conscious effort to utilize CFRP materials to repair impact-damaged beams. CFRP has been used to supplement prestressed strands to restore flexural capacity, laterally ‘harden’ bottom flanges against damage from re-impacts, and enhance the ductility, shear strength, and integrity of concrete bridge beams. For repeatedly impact damaged beams, CFRP has been used as ‘sacrificial’ reinforcement to protect the primary reinforcement, the prestressed strands, and to increase survivability, thus preserving the structure. Recommendations regarding the effectiveness of such CFRP repairs are presented.

Highway bridges are periodically exposed to fires that can cause severe and extensive damage to critical components. After such an occurrence, bridge owners are immediately faced with several critical questions, including: • Is the structure safe for use by the public? • Does the damaged bridge require load posting? • How has the service-life been affected? • What repair or rehabilitation alternatives are available? To properly answer owner concerns regarding the safety and serviceability of critical infrastructure, a complete evaluation consisting of visual inspection, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), and laboratory testing is required. The objective of the evaluation is to identify the depth and extent of fire damage as well as any change in the physical or material properties in the steel and concrete. This paper entails a discussion of fire related damage mechanisms to highway structures, NDT methods and technologies available for evaluation of fire-damaged bridge elements and repair alternatives to return bridges to safe operation and restore the intended service life. Three case studies will be discussed to demonstrate application of the inspection and evaluation process presented.