Post-Damage Repair of Prestressed Concrete Girders

Concrete is an economical construction material and for that reason it is widely used in buildings and infrastructures. The use of deicing salts, expansion joint failure, and freeze–thaw cycles have led to concrete bridge girders experiencing corrosion of steel reinforcement and becoming unsafe for driving. The goal of this research is to assess the effectiveness of current and possible repair techniques for the end region of damaged prestressed concrete girders. To do this, three American Association of State Highway and Transportation prestressed concrete girders were tested to failure, repaired, and retested. Three different repair materials were tested including carbon fiber, glass fiber, and surface mounted rods. Each different repair material was also tested with and without injected epoxy. Comparisons were then made to determine if injecting epoxy had a positive effect on stiffness and strength recovery as well as which repair type regained the largest percentage of original strength.