Title:
Concrete Bridge Barriers Reinforced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bars
Author(s):
Ehab El-Salakawy, Brahim Benmokrane, Radhouane Masmoudi, Frederic Briere,
and Eric Breaumier
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
100
Issue:
6
Appears on pages(s):
815-824
Keywords:
bridge; fiber reinforcement; polymer.
DOI:
10.14359/12848
Date:
11/1/2003
Abstract:
Corrosion of steel reinforcement is a major cause of deterioration problems in reinforced concrete structures exposed to harsh environmental conditions. The expansion of highway systems increased the need to provide corrosion-free reinforced concrete components for highway bridges. An extensive research program to investigate the behavior of two types of bridge barriers—PL-2 and PL-3—reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars has been ongoing for the last 4 years at the Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ). The geometry, concrete dimensions, and reinforcement of both PL-2 and PL-3 barriers were based on the new Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code. Sand-coated GFRP bars and conventional steel bars were used. A new detailing for connecting the wall to slab by extending the main reinforcement of the wall through the slab was introduced. This program included two parts. Part I involved laboratory tests on barriers under static loading conditions where four full-scale, 2 m-long barrier prototypes—2 PL-2 and 2 PL-3—were constructed and tested. Part II involved the behavior of barriers subjected to impact loads by performing a pendulum crash test using a 3.0 ton pear-shaped iron ball on eight full-scale 10 m-long barrier prototypes—4 PL-2 and 4 PL-3. The performance of barriers reinforced with GFRP bars was evaluated and compared with that of their counterparts reinforced with steel. Based on the results of this investigation, it is concluded that the behavior of PL-2 and PL-3 concrete bridge barriers reinforced with GFRP bars is very similar to their counterparts reinforced with conventional steel in terms of cracking, deflections, strains, energy absorption, integrity, and ultimate strength.