Hydrocarbon Pool Fire Performance of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Retrofitted and Thermally Insulated Bridges
A project is underway at University of Texas at Arlington to evaluate the hydrocarbon pool fire performance of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) retrofitted and thermally insulated bridges. It is a pioneering research in bridging the knowledge gap on the study of bridges in general and FRP- strengthened bridge girders in particular, specifically against fire hazard. The project has three phases. The first phase involved building a full scale bridge which is 33’ in length, 18’ wide and 6’ high. The superstructure consisted of three Tx28 girder and 8” concrete deck. The first girder is FRP strengthened the second girder is FRP repaired and thermally insulated and the third one which served as control was neither FRP strengthened nor thermally insulated.
The second phase involved loading the bridge with blocks of zipper barrier to simulate HL-93 live load and subjecting to hydrocarbon fire. The fire testing Was performed at DFW Fire Training Research Center.
On the third phase of the projects, the girders were saw-cut and transported to the CELAB to determine their residual strength.
Current Research Projects
Evaluation of Externally Applied FRP-Concrete Bond Strength Using Non-destructive Testing Methods
Load Test evaluation and Theoretical modeling of In-Service FRP strengthened Bridges
Strengthening of Elevated Slabs on Ground with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Systems
Bent Cap Repair of In-Service Bridges Using FRP Laminates
Strengthening of Laterally Damaged Pre-stressed Concrete Bridge Girders with CFRP Laminates