Underwater Fiber–Reinforced Polymers Repair of Prestressed Piles in the Allen Creek Bridge

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of a demonstration project in which corroding prestressed piles located in tidal waters were wrapped underwater using carbon and glass fiber-reinforced polymer material. An innovative instrumentation scheme was developed to allow assessment of the prewrap and postwrap corrosion state using linear polarization. This system is simple to install and eliminates the need for wiring or junction boxes. The underwater wrap used a unique water-activated urethane resin system that eliminated the need for cofferdam construction. Linear polarization measurements taken before and after wrapping indicate that the corrosion rate in the wrapped specimens is consistently lower than those in its unwrapped counterpart. These preliminary findings are encouraging and suggest that underwater wrapping without cofferdam construction may provide a cost-effective solution for pile repair.