7.

1 Overview 61

7. Fibre Reinforced Polymers -

State of the Art in Repair and Strengthening
7.1 Overview
In chapter 7 the state of the art is presented of the retrofitting (i.e. strengthening and
repair) of existing, mostly prestressed concrete or steel-concrete-composite bridges
using FRP components. For this purpose strips, bars, external cables, sheets and shell
elements and deck slabs are used. In this chapter the individual sections are again
organised according to the main countries of application: Japan, Canada, USA and
Europe.

7.2 State of the Art in Japan

In Japan mainly deck slabs and columns have been strengthened. The need to strength-
en bridge decks is due above all to the increased live loads (maximum truck weight
increased from 20 to 25 t) and the problems of punching shear which have thereby
arisen. Accordingly, the undersides of the deck slabs are being reinforced over the
whole area between the beams. In the case of columns, mainly the structural resistance
to earthquake effects is being increased.
Basically, in Japan three different methods of retrofitting are being used:
- prestressed rods and cables,
- winding of tows for columns,
- use of fibre sheets for beams, slabs, columns, walls (mainly carbon fibres, and less
frequently aramid).
Technora prestressing cables, for example, were used to strengthen the Sone Viaduct
in 1995 (transverse prestressing).
In 1983 a robot was developed by ObayashiMitsubishi for the tow winding technique,
but it is losing ground in bridge construction compared to the sheet technology, espe-
cially because in Japan mainly the bending resistance of columns has been increased
by applying fibres in the vertical direction. (This is in contrast to the USA, where
mainly the deformational capacity has been increased by means of winding tech-
niques). First applications of the sheet technology were already in 1984 for the
strengthening of deck slabs. The sheets are applied in two different ways:
- complete covering of the concrete with overlapping, or in
- the Sho-Bond method: application in a grid form with the possibility of checking the
concrete surfaces in the spaces in between as well as any outflow of water (fig. 7.1).
In Japan there are two associations for promoting FRP for strengthening purposes:
- CFRRA (Carbon Fibre Repair and Reinforcement Research Association), and
- ARS (Society of Aramid Reinforcement Systems).
The CFRRA was founded in 1994 and comprises about 250 companies, of which
fibres are manufactured by Tonen, Toray, Mitsubishi Chemical and general contrac-
tors like Obayashi, Shimizu, Kajima. There is close cooperation with the Public
Works Research Institute (PWRI) of the Ministry of Construction, the Japan High-
ways Corp., the Hanshin Expressway Authority, etc. They are jointly preparing appli-
62 7 Fibre Reinforced Polymers - State of the Art in Repair and Strengthening

cation guidelines (cf. section 10.3) and carrying out pilot projects. In the case of pilot
projects, under the auspices of the CFRRA as a rule all forms of sheet technology are
applied (Tow Sheet, Replark, Torayca Cloth, cf. section 4.5). According to informa-
tion from the CFRRA, up to the present time over 2,000 applications have been car-
ried out, e.g. in total over 1,000 bridge piers have been strengthened, a large number
of them after the Kobe earthquake of 1995 (cf. fig. 7.2 and the example Hanshin
Expressway in appendix 1, p. 104).

Fig. 7.1: Sho-Bond method of strengthening slabs.

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1993 1994 1995 1% 1997

Year YDsr

Fig. 7.2:Annual consumption of carbon and aramid$bre sheets for strengthening in

Japan.

The smaller ARS association was founded in 1996. They numbered 26 members in
1999, including the fibre manufacturers Teijin, DuPont-Toray Kevlar, Nippon Aramid
Cjoint venture AKZO Nobel and Sumitomo Chemical), and some of the general con-
tractors in the CFRRA Group: Kajima, Obayashi, Sumitomo Construction, Mitsui,
etc. About 10 applications with the FITS system (section 4.5.4) have been realised.

7.3 State of the Art in Canada

Sheets and strips have been used in Canada above all within the framework of ISIS
Canada demonstration projects (cf. table 7.1). Mostly Japanese sheet products (cf.
section 4.5) have been used. In some of the applications FOS have been integrated.
Above all in the case of winding around columns so-called “long-gauge sensors” have
been applied, which cover the whole column and in this way any “explosion” pressure
due to corroding reinforcement can be measured.
7.4 State of the Art in the USA 63

Bridge 1 Province 1 Year 1 System 1 Component

Leslie Street
Bridge
Champlain
II Ontario

Quebec
II II
1996

1996
Carbon sheets 4 filament-wound columns,

Tyfo S glass
long-gauge sensors
I 1 column
Bridge sheets
~~

Maryland Street Manitoba 19971 Mbrace sheets Shear reinforcement of 2 main

Bridge 98 Replark sheets beams for each system
John Hart Bridge British 1997/ Replark sheets Diagonal shear reinforcement
Columbia 98 of 42 beams
Country Hills Alberta 1998 Sika Carbodur Deck slab strengthening
Boulevard Bridge strips
~ ~~ ~ ~

Table 7.1: FRP bridge strengthening under the auspices of ISIS Canada.

A further speciality, which is still under development, is the use of slotted FRP rein-
forcing rods for strengthening purposes (so-called NSM-near surface mounted FRP
rods). In the covering concrete small slots are cut, into which the FRP reinforcing rods
are placed and grouted with an epoxy resin glue.
Applications of FRP cables for strengthening purposes could not be found.

7.4 State of the Art in the USA

As in Japan after the Kobe earthquake of 1995, likewise after the Northridge earth-
quake of 1994 the use of sheets and strips for strengthening purposes, above all for co-
lumns, has experienced an upturn in California. For example, at Yolo Causeway west
of Sacramento 3,000 columns were reinforced with prefabricated GFRP/polyester
shell elements. The FRP reinforcement of columns with sheets and shell elements has
established itself in the USA as the strengthening with CFRP strips in Switzerland has.
A variety of methods with different material combinations have been used (cf. figs. 7 . 3
and 7.4 and section 4.5). Basically, one can differentiate between the use of stiff FRP
shell elements, which are usually glued with polyurethane or epoxy glues, and the ap-
plication of sheets, which are only preimpregnated and are applied in the wet matrix,
i.e. without any other glue. The advantage of stiff shell elements is above all in the
short time needed for applying them: the strengthening of an 8 m high column of
90 cm diameter, e.g., requires only two hours. The use of shell elements, however, is
essentially limited to round columns, while sheets, on the other hand, are much more
adaptable to different forms.
As a rule, the strengthening concept in the USA is not - as in Japan - to increase the
bearing capacity, but rather the ductility by creating a multiaxial stress state (confine-
ment effect).
64 7 Fibre Reinforced Polymers - State of the Art in Repair and Strengthening

Fig. 7.3: Methods of strengthening columns in the USA.

Fig. 7.4: Typical column and beam strengthening in the USA.

Table 7.2:Retrojtting of bridges with FRP decks.

The use of sheets and strips is common for the strengthening of beams and slabs.
Examples of the use of FRP cables for strengthening purposes could not be found.
7.5 State of the Art in Europe 65

Within the framework of repair work, most notable is the replacement of concrete by
FRP deck slabs. The bridges repaired in this way are listed in table 7.2. The original
steel beams were retained.

7.5 State of the Art in Europe

7.5.1 Overview
The FRP reinforcement of bridges has been experimented with practically every-
where in Europe. Beyond the stage of pilot applications is strengthening with CFRP
strips, which today due to the obvious disadvantages of steel strips are often preferred.
Sheets and cables are used within the framework of pilot applications. Since Switzer-
land is a leading country in Europe in the development and application of FRP rein-
forcement, the state of the art in Switzerland is summarised in the following section as
being representative for the other countries.
Worthy of particular mention, however, is a special development in England, which
can be employed as part of a bridge repair programme, but also for new structures.
Especially steel-concrete-composite bridges with steel girders are wrapped in pro-
tective enclosures which can be walked on (cf. table 7.3). The protective system,
which is called the “Caretaker System,” is built up of ACCS elements (cf. section
5.3.10).

Bridges I Year I System I Appendix1 I

A 19 Tees Viaduct I 1988 I ACCSenclosure I p.99 I
Broomley South Bridge 1992 ACCS enclosure -

2ndSevern Crossing Approaches 1996 ACCS enclosure -

BR Rogiet Bridge ACCS enclosure -

Table 7.3:ACCS protective enclosuresfor bridges in UK.

7.5.2 State of the Art in Switzerland

The first strengthening of a bridge world-wide with CFRP strips was in 1991, the
Ibach Bridge, Lucerne. Since then a number of bridges have been strengthened by this
means. The advantages compared to steel strips are, in particular, the light weight, the
minimum thickness allowed by the crossings, the corrosion resistance and the simple
and rapid application.
Pin-loaded straps have not yet found application. Shear angles and sheets are used
mainly in buildings. Any corresponding applications in bridge construction in Swit-
zerland are not known.
CFRP cables for strengthening were employed up until now for the Verdasio Bridge
(cf. appendix 1, p. 122). For the first time the cables were deviated. The allowable
radius of deviation of the carbon fibre cables, which are sensitive to lateral pressures,
was investigated beforehand by means of laboratory tests at the Swiss Federal Labo-
ratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA).