Title:
Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Dowels for Concrete Pavements
Author(s):
Darren Eddie, Ahmed Shalaby, and Sami Rizkalla
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
98
Issue:
2
Appears on pages(s):
201-206
Keywords:
concrete; dowel; fiber; load transfer; pavement (concrete); polymer; transverse joint
DOI:
10.14359/10188
Date:
3/1/2001
Abstract:
Corrosion of steel dowels in concrete pavements reduces their useful service life and creates considerable maintenance and repair expenditures for concrete pavements. Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) dowel bars are a possible maintenance-free alternative that will potentially reduce the overall life cycle cost of pavements, especially in corrosive environments. This paper describes the performance of GFRP dowel bars under static and cyclic loads. Dowels were used for a slab/joint model tested under laboratory conditions. The test variables included two different base support levels and two GFRP dowel types in addition to standard epoxy-coated steel dowels. GFRP dowels with a 38 mm diameter were used in this study to replace the 32 mm diameter epoxy-coated steel dowels. This paper also discusses the results of a field application in which three types of GFRP dowels were installed in a new concrete pavement highway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The field performance of doweled joints has been verified under dynamic load testing.