MONITORING OF BRIDGE GIRDERS RETROFITTED WITH CFRP SHEETS

Concrete bridges and other reinforced concrete structures are constantly deteriorating, and are in need of major maintenance or replacement. The use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) has gained widespread acceptance as an excellent method for the strengthening, retrofitting and upgrading of existing concrete structures. The analysis, design, restoration method, and application of CFRP procedures to the damaged beams were developed in this study. A monitoring plan consists of a non-destructive, long-term program of the strengthened beams after repair to help identify any changes in the bridge's condition over time due to sustained loads, traffic loads, and environmental exposure. The collected data from the monitoring plan and visual inspections has shown that the beams are in a good condition and no cracks or separation of CFRP sheets (bond deterioration) from concrete was observed. This study shows that CFRP repair provides an effective method of repairing concrete elements in terms of cost, speed of construction, and traffic interference. For the covering abstract see ITRD E123168.