Innovative materials for bridges of the 21{sup}ST century

摘要

The Innovative Bridge Research and Construction (IBRC) program was created under the TEA-21 surface transportation legislation with the goal of fostering the use of innovative materials to repair or rehabilitate existing bridges or to construct new bridges. Innovative materials are identified by high performance characteristics such as high strength, light weight, increased durability, ease of construction, etc. Special funds are provided to demonstrate the use of innovative materials on bridges and to evaluate their feasibility and potential for superior performance in service. The outcome of the program is expected to be bridges with lower maintenance costs, lower life cycle costs and less impact on road users at bridge rehabilitation projects. The IBRC program is currently supporting 157 projects which demonstrate the use of innovative materials such as high performance steel, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, high performance concrete and corrosion resistant steel reinforcing bars. Included in those projects are eighty-four applications of (FRP) composites on existing or new bridges. These bridge applications include structural decks, stay-in-place deck forms, reinforcing bars, prestressing tendons, laminates bonded to structural members for retrofit and/or strengthening, shells for foundation piles, railings and superstructure beams. The primary purpose of the IBRC program is to demonstrate the application of innovative materials in bridges. Consistent with that purpose is the need to identify the most promising applications (particularly for composites) and advance the state-of-the-practice through improvements in materials, preparation of specifications and technology transfer. A comprehensive database of the FRP applications in highway bridges is under development.