The experimental results of an ongoing research on the use of composite fabrics to strengthen and repair prestressed concrete railway crossties are presented. The research program was decided after fine cracks had been observed in ties installed on a short span bridge close to Montreal, Canada. The purpose of this research is to study the feasibility of retrofitting these ties as opposed to replacing them by new ones. In the experimental program described herein, two full scale ties were loaded until a fully stabilized cracking pattern was reached. The ties were then strengthened using composite straps and reloaded up to failure. The experimental results were compared to those from an extensive investigation conducted at Concordia University on the performance of prestressed crossties without strengthening. The strength of the retrofitted ties was found to be 40% higher than those tested without straps.
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