IMPACT TESTING OF CONCRETE BRIDGE BARRIERS TYPE MTQ 311 EINFORCED WITH GFRP BARS

摘要

The behaviour of the bridge barriers reinforced with glass-fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bars is being investigated at the University of Sherbrooke in Collaboration with Ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ) through a two-phase research project. The two-phase project included laboratory testing of barrier prototypes under static loads (Phase I) and pendulum impact testing (Phase II). This paper presents the test results of MTQ Type 311 barrier prototypes under pendulum impact load (Phase II). A total of four full-scale 11-m-long barrier prototypes were constructed and tested. The tests included two prototypes totally reinforced with GFRP bars and two prototypes totally reinforced with steel bars for comparison. The barrier walls of the four prototypes were provided with the same reinforcement amount from GFRP and steel bars (No. 20 GFRP @ 200 mm and 20M steel bars @ 200 mm). Pendulum crash tests using a 1.75-ton pear-shaped iron ball were conducted on the four barrier prototypes. The behaviour of the barrier prototypes was evaluated in terms of cracking pattern, crack width, and strains in reinforcing bars. The results of this investigation revealed that the behaviour of the GFRP-reinforced concrete bridge barriers is similar to their steel-reinforced counterparts.