Use of fibre reinforced polymer reinforcement integrated with fibre optic sensors for concrete bridge deck slab construction

The use of corrosion free fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites as reinforcement to concrete is currently being seen as a promising option to generate durable concrete structures. However, there exists very little credible information about its field application and performance. This paper describes the Joffre Bridge project, in Sherbrooke (Québec, Canada), over the St-François River, where Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) was used as reinforcement for a portion of the concrete deck slab. The bridge consists of five longitudinal spans with lengths varying from 26 to 37 m. Each span has a concrete deck supported by five steel girders at 3.7 m. A part of the concrete deck slab (7.3 × 11.5 m) and a portion of the traffic barrier and the sidewalk were reinforced with Carbon (CFRP) and Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforcement. The bridge was extensively instrumented with many different types of gauges, including integrated fibre optic sensors (FOS) into FRP reinforcement. The performance of the bridge had been assessed under static and dynamic loading using calibrated heavy trucks. Moreover, structural design and construction details of the bridge and instrumentation were performed. The results from calibrated field tests on the bridge are presented in this paper.Key words: concrete bridge deck, FRP reinforcement, fibre optic sensors (FOS), field calibrated tests, performance monitoring.