PROGRESSIVE DAMAGE AND CAPACITY EVALUATION OF FRP REHABILITATED BRIDGE DECKS UNDER SIMULATED WHEEL LOADS

摘要

A considerable number of the existing reinforced concrete bridges in the US are deemed to be structurally deficient or in serious need of repair. A common problem is the susceptibility of the existing bridge decks to punching shear type failures. A test program was undertaken to evaluate the behavior of bridge decks prior to and after being strengthened with externally bonded FRP composite laminates and strips. The four specimens tested constitute sections cut out from an actual bridge deck during demolition of the bridge as part of a replacement program of ageing infrastructure. Composite strips were used to extend the life of this bridge a few years prior to demolition. The specimens tested are representative of bridge deck components being subjected to realistic deterioration and damage over time. The test setup was devised to simulate the behavior of the full bridge deck when subjected to concentrated wheel load. The primary objective of this test program was to correlate the test data on the failure modes, capacity loads and test specimen behavior under progressive damage propagation, to the behavior of a full bridge deck in the field being subjected to similar deterioration and environmental exposures