ABSTRACT
The retrofit and rehabilitation of bridges and structures by externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) composite materials has become popular due to their superior characteristics such as high tensile strength and modulus combined with light weight, high resistance to corrosion from deicing salts and other corrosive agents, ease of fabrication, ease of shipping and jobsite handling, and ease and speed of installation. The majority of FRP applications for bridge structures use longitudinally oriented carbon fibers (CFRP). CFRP composites have been proven to be strong, non-corrosive, and a long-term durable composite system suitable for bridge strengthening to increase the load carrying capacity. This paper summarizes the results of a completed bridge strengthening project using CFRP composites with live load testing to validate the effectiveness of the CFRP system.
