Experimental Study of UHPC Repair for Corrosion-Damaged Steel Girder Ends

Abstract

Corrosion of girder ends is a prevalent problem that significantly reduces the bearing capacity of bridges. Current repair methods are expensive and difficult to implement. A novel repair method was developed for steel girder ends with corrosion damage using ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) to encase the corrosion. For this repair, UHPC panels were attached to girders with shear studs welded to the web and flange surrounding the corroded area. This allowed shear and bearing forces to transfer from the girder to the UHPC panels. The UHPC panels provided a new load path, thereby increasing the bearing capacity of the girder. Half-scale experiments were conducted on undamaged, damaged, and repaired rolled steel girder specimens. The test results were used to (1) determine the decrease in bearing capacity attributable to section loss, (2) demonstrate the ability of the UHPC repair to restore lost girder capacity, and (3) investigate the constructability of the repair method. The experimental results show that the UHPC repair was easily implemented and succeeded in restoring bearing capacity lost as a result of corrosion damage.