A Systematic Study of Rehabilitation of Reinforced Concrete T-beam Structures Using Externally Bonded FRP Composites

This paper describes a synthesis of findings pertaining to rehabilitation of concrete T-beam bridges with externally bonded FRP composites from a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 3 (PennDOT D3) project, with the purpose of answering common questions of concern mainly by state Department of Transportation (DOT) engineers and officials. A method for selecting applicable candidate bridges for suitability of repair with externally bonded FRP composites is described. With this classification, a candidate bridge was selected for a contract repair project. Field and laboratory testing of existing and repaired bridge materials is described. Structural analysis was based on AASHTO specifications. Finite Element (FE) model-ing was performed. Current ACI 440.2R-08 design guidelines were used. Supporting full-scale lab studies were conducted. Results were used to develop draft PennDOT design standards and construction specifica-tions and to apply “lessons learned” to the design and constructability of nearly 1,000 concrete T-beam bridges in Pennsylvania, USA.