This digest describes the material requirements for fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites used as internal reinforcement for concrete bridge decks and presents test procedures for evaluating these composites. While the use of FRP composites as reinforcement for concrete bridge decks provides a potential for increased service life and economic and environmental benefits, current standards and test methods do not account for the properties of FRP composite reinforcement and its relationship to performance. Therefore, there was a need to identify or develop performance-related tests to characterize and evaluate FRP composites and to recommend acceptable procedures for testing and selecting FRP composite reinforcement for use in concrete bridge decks. The research, conducted by Florida Atlantic University, was completed in May 2003 and included a review of current practices regarding the use of FRP composites for concrete bridge deck reinforcement, performance of laboratory and analytical investigations, monitoring of in-service bridge deck installations, and identification of protocols for the evaluation of FRP composites. The information in this digest is extracted from the project's final report. (Author/publisher) This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_rrd_282.pdf
Abstract