Use of GFRP bars as reinforcement for concrete bridge deck slabs

Six innovative concrete bridges reinforced with FRP bars were recently constructed in North America. Five bridges, Wotton, Magog, Cookshire-Eaton, Val-Alain, and Melbourne Bridges are located in Quebec, Canada, while the sixth one, Morristown Bridge, is located in Vermont, USA. All the bridges are of girder-type with main girders made of either steel or prestressed concrete with spans ranging from 26.2 to 50.0 m. The deck is a 200 to 230 mm thickness concrete slab continuous over spans of 2.30 to 3.15 m. Glass and carbon FRP reinforcing bars as well as conventional steel were used as reinforcement for the concrete deck slab. The bridges are well instrumented at critical locations for internal temperature and strain data collection using fiber optic sensors. Except Melbourne Bridge, all bridges were tested for service performance using calibrated truckloads. This paper presents the construction details and field testing results of the constructed bridges. The construction procedure and field test results under real service conditions showed very competitive performance to concrete bridges reinforced with steel.