Experimental study of FRP-strengthened RC bridge girders subjected to fatigue loading

The practical application of composite materials for retrofitting of reinforced concrete bridge T-sectional girders was investigated. Carbon and glass fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP and GFRP) saturated in an epoxy resin matrix were used to enhance the service load-carrying capacity of the bridge. Three 5-m-long simply supported beams were tested under monotonic and cyclic loads for comparison to a beam subjected to more than 10⁶ cycles in the service load range. The results show that an FRP-strengthened T-beam subjected to fatigue loading demonstrated excellent behaviour that can be expected from well-detailed retrofit schemes incorporating carbon and glass fibre laminates.