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Durability Assessment of 15- to 20-Year-Old GFRP Bars Extracted from Bridges in the US. I: Selected Bridges, Bar Extraction, and Concrete Assessment
Journal of Composites for Construction
  • Vanessa Benzecry
  • Ali F. Al-Khafaji
  • Rudy T. Haluza
  • Charles E. Bakis
  • John J. Myers, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Antonio Nanni
Abstract

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars have been used in concrete structures as an alternative to steel bars due to their noncorrosive behavior. However, due to the lack of full understanding of long-term performance, their use as internal reinforcement is still limited. To evaluate the durability of in-service GFRP bars under natural exposure, a collaborative project including four organizations investigated the conditions of GFRP bars and their surrounding concrete from bridges with 15-20 years of service. The aim of Part I of a two-paper series is to describe the bridge structures, methods of extraction, and the results of concrete testing, wheras Part II focuses on GFRP bar performance. The extracted bars were tested for physical, mechanical, and chemical properties, and the surrounding concrete was evaluated for chloride penetration, pH, and carbonation depth at the level of reinforcement. Results showed that carbonation and chloride may have reached the depth of the GFRP bars. This paper discusses the process of extraction of the bars, including the location and type of the selected bridge, and the concrete tests performed in terms of procedure, results, and observations.

Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
  • Bridges,
  • Concrete durability,
  • Concrete tests,
  • Glass fiber-reinforced polymer,
  • Reinforced concrete
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2021 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
4-1-2021
Publication Date
01 Apr 2021
Citation Information
Vanessa Benzecry, Ali F. Al-Khafaji, Rudy T. Haluza, Charles E. Bakis, et al.. "Durability Assessment of 15- to 20-Year-Old GFRP Bars Extracted from Bridges in the US. I: Selected Bridges, Bar Extraction, and Concrete Assessment" Journal of Composites for Construction Vol. 25 Iss. 2 (2021) ISSN: 1090-0268; 1943-5614
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john-myers/99/