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Design, Construction, and Field-Testing of an RC Box Culvert Bridge Reinforced with GFRP Bars
This paper presents an overview of the design, construction, and laboratory and field testing of a box culvert bridge reinforced with glass FRP (GFRP) bars. The bridge was constructed to replace a bridge that was built in the early 1980s and consisted of three concrete-incased corrugated steel pipes. Due to excessive corrosion of the steel pipes, the original bridge became unsafe to operate. The new box culvert units were designed for maximum forces determined in accordance with AASHTO design guidelines. A concrete precaster fabricated the box culvert units that were reinforced entirely with GFRP bars pre-bent and cut to size by the manufacturer.

Two specimens were tested in the lab to verify their design and performance. The boxes were subjected to quasi-static loading cycles up to failure. Deformations and reinforcement strains were measured throughout the test. Test results compared well with theoretical values. The new bridge was opened to traffic in October 1999. The long-term performance of the new bridge is being monitored through periodic in-situ load tests, the first of which was conducted eight months after construction. Deflection measurements taken during the test were small and indicated an elastic bridge behavior.