Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair

Julio F. Davalos

Committee Co-Chair

Karl E. Barth

Abstract

The bridge inventory of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation-District 3 (PennDOT-D3) includes 128 concrete T-Beam bridges built in 1920 to 1960. Due to deterioration over time, a significant number of these bridges are in need of repair or replacement. Traditional methods of repair require temporary bridge-closures and do not provide long-term effective solutions. Moreover, the cost of replacement is not financially viable. Thus, PennDOT D-3 sponsored this project to investigate the technical and economic suitability of a relatively new technology, widely used for seismic retrofit, consisting of externally bonded Fiber-Reinforce Polymer (FRP) for repair and retrofit of concrete T-Beam bridges in particular, but applicable to other bridge structures in PA.;This thesis discusses a case-study project for innovative rehabilitation of cast-in-place concrete T-Beam bridges in PennDOT-D3. The 128 bridges considered are simply-supported structures of 20 to 60-ft span that provide much needed service throughout the District. Although specific to PennDOT-D3 this study presents a general prescription for the possible adoption of FRP for bridge repair and retrofit.;This study describes a method for cataloging candidate bridges from an inventory based on suitability and favorability for repair with externally bonded FRP composites. The rationale for the classification of a set of characteristics is described. This classification is based on inspection data (photographical indication of damage and field verification for representative bridges) and age, span, and ADT/ADTT. From these characteristics, three suitable levels are identified: Class 1 (high), Class 2 (moderate) and Class 3 (low). Correspondingly, 3 repair protocols are recommended: Major (repair contracted out through competitive bid), Moderate (repair performed as a joint effort between state engineers and contractors), and Minor (repair performed entirely by an in-house crew). Comparisons are given for both cost-benefit (future worth) and construction methods for both FRP and conventional repair for these 3 levels. Also, from a synthesis of classification characteristics and repair levels, a prescription for the selection of candidate bridges for trial repair is presented, to implement the technology on Phase II of this project currently underway.

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