Field Durability Study of Vinyl-Ester–Based GFRP Rebars in Concrete Bridge Barriers

Abstract

Val-Alain Bridge on Highway 2 East is the first bridge in Canada in which the concrete deck and barrier walls were fully reinforced with vinyl-ester–based glass-fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. Built in 24, this bridge was considered as the prototype for bridges built thereafter by the Québec Ministry of Transport (MTQ). In 215, concrete core samples containing GFRP bars were taken from the bridge barrier wall to assess the durability of the high-performance concrete and bars. The mechanical and physicochemical properties of the concrete and GFRP bars were assessed and compared with the material properties measured during bridge construction. In addition, the durability of the GFRP bars was assessed based on the performance of the reference samples from the same production lot of the bars used in reinforcing the Val-Alain Bridge. The results reveal no significant changes in the physicochemical properties as well as microstructure of the concrete and vinyl-ester–based GFRP bars sampled from the bridge barriers after 11 years of service exposure to wet–dry cycles, freeze–thaw cycles, and deicing salts.