Browsing by Author "Robinson, D"

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Corrosion-resistant FRP reinforcement for bridge deck slabs
(Thomas Telford, 2014-11-26) Tharmarajah, G; Taylor, S. E; Cleland, D. J; Robinson, D
This paper discusses the beneficial influence of compressive membrane action in fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforced in-plane restrained slabs in bridge deck slabs and the improved service performance when arching action occurs. Bridge deck slabs that are exposed to extreme environmental conditions can experience severe corrosion damage. Expansive corrosion in steel reinforcement significantly reduces the design life and durability of concrete structures; for example, on one short section of the M1 in Northern Ireland, nearly £1 million was spent last year on the maintenance and repair of bridges due to corrosion. Corrosion-resistant composite reinforcement such as basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) provides a durable alternative to reinforcing steel. In this research, two BFRP reinforced slabs and two GFRP reinforced slabs were constructed using high-strength concrete with a target cube compressive strength of 65 N/mm2. The slabs represented typical full-scale dimensions of a real bridge deck slab 475 mm wide by 1425 mm long and 150 mm deep. The service and ultimate behaviour of the slabs are discussed and the results are compared with the relevant design guidelines.
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Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Compressive Membrane Action in GFRP-Reinforced Concrete Slabs
(MDPI, 2023-02-28) Tharmarajah, G; Taylor, S; Robinson, D
Experimental and numerical analyses of eight in-plane restrained slabs (1425 mm (length) × 475 mm (width) × 150 mm (thickness)) reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars are reported in this paper. The test slabs were installed into a rig, that provided 855 kN/mm in-plane stiffness and rotational stiffness. The effective depths of the reinforcement in the slabs varied from 75 mm to 150 mm, and the amount of reinforcement changed from 0 to 1.2% with 8, 12, and 16 mm bar diameters. A comparison of the service and ultimate limit state behavior of the tested one-way spanning slabs shows that a different design approach is necessary for GFRP-reinforced in-plane restrained slabs that demonstrate compressive membrane action behavior. Design codes based on yield line theory, which considers simply supported and rotationally restrained slabs, are not sufficient to predict the ultimate limit state behavior of restrained GFRP-reinforced slabs. Tests reported a higher failure load for GFRP-reinforced slabs by a factor of 2, which was further validated by numerical models. The experimental investigation was validated by a numerical analysis, and the acceptability of the model was further confirmed by consistent results obtained by analyzing in-plane restrained slab data from the literature.