Available online at www.CivileJournal.org
Civil Engineering Journal
(E-ISSN: 2476-3055; ISSN: 2676-6957)
Vol. 8, No. 07, July, 2022
1507
Behavior of Post-Tensioned Concrete Girders Subject to Partially
Strand Damage and Strengthened by NSM-CFRP Composites
Abbas Jalil
1*
, Alaa Hussein Al-Zuhairi
1
1
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Baghdad, 10071 Baghdad, Iraq.
Received 05 April 2022; Revised 13 June 2022; Accepted 19 June 2022; Published 01 July 2022
Abstract
Studies on the flexural behavior of post-tensioned beams subjected to strand damage and strengthened with near-surface
mounted (NSM) technique using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) are limited and fail to examine the effect of
CFRP laminates on strand strain and strengthening efficiency systematically. Furthermore, a design approach for UPC
structures in existing design guidelines for FRP strengthening techniques is lacking. Hence, the behavior of post-tensioned
beams strengthened with NSM-CFRP laminates after partial strand damage is investigated in this study. The testing
program consists of seven post-tensioned beams strengthened by NSM-CFRP laminates with three partial strand damage
ratios (14.3% symmetrical damage, 14.3% asymmetric damage, and 28.6% symmetrical damage). The experimental results
showed that the use of CFRP laminates significantly increases the flexural capacity by up to 17.4 to 20.4%, corresponding
to a strand damage ratio of 14.3 and 28.6%, respectively, enhances the stiffness, and reduces strand strain by up to 15.8 to
22.2%. However, the flexural stiffness of strengthened beams during serviceability phases is critical as strand damage
ratios increase. Additionally, semi-empirical equations were proposed to predict the actual strain of unbonded strands
whilst considering the effects of CFRP laminates. The suggested equations provide accurate predictions with little variance.
Keywords: NSM-CFRP Laminates; Post-Tensioned Concrete; Strand Damages; Strengthening.
1. Introduction
Post-tensioned concrete (PT) girders are widely used in bridges and large-span structures. Some of the strands and
surrounding concrete may be damaged as a result of exposure to harsh weather conditions, high-vehicle collisions, etc.
Consequently, partial loss of their structural capacity to resist stresses and an increase in deformation are expected. The
process of replacing these members within sensitive facilities is often expensive and complicated. Therefore, the repair
and strengthening of members are ideal options to ensure their return to the equivalent design capacity.
The Washington State Department of Transport (WSDOT) developed a set of criteria to describe damaged girder
situations that would necessitate replacement without recourse to strengthening techniques. One of these criteria is that
the strand damage rate exceeds 25%, and this requires researching the behavior of the members that have a higher strand
damage rate using innovative strengthening methods [1]. Several field investigations have shown that CFRP materials
may be applied to strengthen damaged PS bridge girders after severe concrete cross-section losses and a limited number
of strand members have ruptured [2, 3].
External bonding (EB) and Near-Surface mounted (NSM) techniques are two common methods of strengthening
and repairing concrete members using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials. The FRP material is characterized by
* Corresponding author: abbas19asdi@gmail.com
http://dx.doi.org/10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-07-013
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee C.E.J, Tehran, Iran. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).