Prestressing bridge girders with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer: State of knowledge and research needs

Abstract

Prestressing concrete bridge beams with composite materials has been investigated extensively within the last two decades. The outcomes of these research efforts, however, emerged only in a limited number of representative applications in the United States. This is partly due to a lack of comprehensive design guidelines for use by bridge engineers, especially in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design format. An extensive review of literature related to the prestressing of concrete bridge beams with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer strands was conducted. A database of the beams prestressed with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer was established, and the existing design methods along with the required parameters were reviewed. Based on the collected data, the flexural and shear capacity of beams was calculated and compared with the experimentally obtained capacity and that obtained from selected design guidelines. Variables related to the design of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer prestressing that need calibration with dedicated material properties were examined, and the effects of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer on long- and short-term losses were identified.