Experimental and Finite Element Study on the Shear Performance of Existing Super-Span Concrete T-Beams Retrofitted with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastic

Abstract

Super-span, reinforced concrete, T-shaped cross-section beams (T-beams) with a service life of more than 30 years are widely used in highway bridges in China. Most of these beams have been retrofitted with glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) to prevent performance degradation. However, the actual shear performance, ultimate state, and failure mechanism of the existing retrofitted super-span concrete T-beams are currently unclear for many inextricable problems. To fill these gaps, in this study, one super-span concrete T-beam, in service for 31 years and retrofitted with GFRP, was extracted from a highway bridge to conduct shear experimentation in a structural laboratory. To assess the particularity of the specimen, finite element analysis was also conducted using ABAQUS software as a supplement to the shear tests. The failure procedure of the specimen was investigated, and the influence of the loading mode on the shear performance of a super-long and old T-beam was also studied. It is concluded that the failure of the super-span T-beam begins with small cracks at the bottom of the mid-span, rather than a loading point.

Research on the Flexural Behavior of a Coastwise RS-OCT Beam That Has Endured Long-Term Fatigue Load for Years

“…Many performances of retrofitted reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams have been reported by related research [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. FRP materials have a positive effect on the capacity of the RC T-beam [1][2][3], whether they are normal concrete or lightweight concrete specimens. The percentage increase in flexural capacity is more evident in normal-weight beams as the number of layers increases [4].…”

A Decision-Making Method for Bridge Network Maintenance Based on Disease Transmission and NSGA-II

“…Over the past few decades, China has built a large amount of transportation infrastructure to support its rapid economic and social development, including hundreds of thousands of highway bridges. Nowadays, due to the relatively poor design standards of these bridges and increasing traffic loads, a large number of them are unable to perform their normal functions [1]. It is foreseeable that a large number of bridges in China will reach their service lives at the same time in the near future and enter a period of concentrated maintenance and reinforcement.…”