Concrete bridge barriers reinforced with glass fibre-reinforced polymer: static tests and pendulum impacts

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1050-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehab A. Ahmed ◽  
Christian Dulude ◽  
Brahim Benmokrane

The behaviour of concrete bridge barriers reinforced with glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars has been investigated at the University of Sherbrooke in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ) through a two-phase research project. This paper presents the test results of MTQ Type 311 barrier prototypes under static (Phase I) and pendulum impact (Phase II) loading conditions. The test program included two full-scale 2.6 m long barrier prototypes for laboratory testing under static loads (Phase I) and four full-scale 11 m long barrier prototypes for field impact tests (Phase II). The laboratory static tests included one prototype totally reinforced with GFRP bars and one totally reinforced with steel bars for comparison, whereas the pendulum impact tests included two replicas totally reinforced with GFRP bars and another two totally reinforced with conventional steel bars. The barrier walls of the six prototypes were provided with the same reinforcement amount of GFRP and steel bars (No. 20 GFRP @ 200 mm and 20M steel bars @ 200 mm). The performance of the GFRP-reinforced concrete (GFRP-RC) barriers was evaluated and compared with that of their steel-RC counterparts. The results of this investigation revealed that the behaviour of the GFRP-RC concrete bridge barriers of MTQ Type 311 is similar to their steel-RC counterparts.

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehab El-Salakawy ◽  
Radhouane Masmoudi ◽  
Brahim Benmokrane ◽  
Frédéric Brière ◽  
Gérard Desgagné

This paper presents the results of a pendulum impact test that was carried out on full-scale types PL-2 and PL-3 concrete bridge barriers reinforced with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. A new corrosion-free connection between the barrier wall and the slab using GFRP bent bars was investigated. For comparison purposes, the impact test was also performed on identical concrete barriers reinforced with conventional steel. A total of eight full-scale 10-m-long barrier prototypes were constructed and tested. The tests included four PL-2 and four PL-3 prototypes. For each type of barrier, two prototypes were reinforced with GFRP sand-coated bars and the other two were reinforced with steel bars. Pendulum crash tests using a 3.0-t pear-shaped iron ball were performed under the same conditions for each type of barrier. The behaviour of the barriers was evaluated in terms of cracking pattern, crack width, and strains in reinforcing bars. The results of this investigation led to the conclusion that the behaviour of PL-2 and PL-3 concrete bridge barriers reinforced with GFRP bars is very similar to that of their counterparts reinforced with conventional steel in terms of cracking, energy absorption, and strength.Key words: concrete bridges, bridge barriers, glass FRP bars, impact, pendulum crash test.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Ametrano

The use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) bars is increasing in construction as an alternative to conventional steel rebars. This thesis investigates the bond behaviour of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars embedded in high performance concrete (HPC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). In this study, the bond characteristics of sand coated GFRP bars embedded in 70-175 MPa concrete were explored. Beam and pullout tests were performed to determine the effects of the concrete strength, bar diameter, embedment length, and concrete cover on the bond behaviour of GFRP bars. Based on the analysis, the development lengths for the GFRP bars were determined and then compared to requirements provided by design codes. It was concluded that the design code lengths could be reduced by 20% while still maintaining a factor of safety of two over the development lengths determined through this study. This reduction can be applied when the GFRP bar is surrounded by sufficient transverse reinforcement, such that adding additional reinforcement would not affect the bond strength. Reducing the amount of GFRP reinforcing material needed, results in a lower overall cost of construction.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4110
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Wiater ◽  
Tomasz Siwowski

The widespread use of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars in reinforced concrete (RC) elements has yet been limited due to the anisotropic and non-homogeneous material behaviour of GFRP. The material characteristics of GFRP bars from different manufacturers vary as a function of several factors. Several standards have developed various procedures to investigate the mechanical characteristics of GFRP bars, but universal methods to test different types and diameters of GFRP bars in tension have not been fully developed. Due to the lack of such a standardized test procedure, there are some doubts and gaps in terms of the behaviour of GFRP bars in tension, which has led to lack of reliable information on their tensile properties. The determination of tensile characteristics of GFRP bars, including the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and ultimate strain, according to various test standards, is the main subject of the paper. This paper reports test results for tensile characterization obtained on four types of GFRP bars from four manufacturers with six various diameters. Moreover, the study compares various test procedures according to seven standards to characterize the tensile properties of GFRP bars, to examine the proposed test procedures, and to reveal main differences.


2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Svecova ◽  
R J Eden

An experimental program was undertaken at The University of Manitoba to test timber stringers strengthened with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. Various strengthening schemes were investigated as a means of increasing the load carrying capacity of timber stringers in shear and flexure. The shear strengthening was achieved by inserting GFRP dowels in the centre of the cross section along the length of the stringers. The flexural strengthening used the concept of near-surface-mounted GFRP bars. Fifty beams were tested to evaluate the performance of the various strengthening schemes. The behaviour of the beams is described in terms of mode of failure, mechanical properties, and load–deflection behaviour. This study found that strengthening timber stringers with GFRP reinforcement increased the ultimate strength of the stringers and reduced its variability. It is believed that the shear and flexural GFRP reinforcements act as a truss member within the timber beam and bridge the local defects and discontinuities of the timber.Key words: timber, glass fibre reinforced polymer, bridge, stringers, dowels, strengthening, ductility.


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