Experimental Study on Full-Scale Pretensioned Bridge Girder Damaged by Vehicle Impact and Repaired with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Technology

Abstract

A bridge was damaged when a dump truck violated the height clearance limitation on Highway 401 in Ontario, Canada. The collision caused extensive damage to the AASHTO Type-III precast/prestressed bridge girders, which led to the closure of the two-lane bridge. Crack mapping showed extensive torsion-shear cracks between the girder quarter points, horizontal crack at the flange-web junctions, and spalled concrete at point of impact. Preliminary elastic testing on the girder established that the flexural capacity of the girder had not been significantly affected. As such, flexural strengthening was not necessary. Crack patterns and severity, followed by analysis, have shown that the girder is deficient in shear capacity. Therefore, the girder was strengthened for shear throughout its entire length using carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. This paper presents a summary of the design and detailing of the elastic behavior test conducted before repair, the girder repair methodology, and results from proof load testing of the repaired girder. It was shown that the rehabilitated girder could sustain flexural live load demand. A field application was also carried out using the same rehabilitation technique on another impact-damaged bridge in Ontario. It was viewed as a major budget-saving project compared to the girder replacement alternative, because of the speed of rehabilitation and the minor traffic disruptions.