LRFD FLEXURAL PROVISIONS FOR PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE GIRDERS STRENGTHENED WITH CARBON FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER LAMINATES

This paper discusses the behavior and design of prestressed concrete (PSC) bridge girders flexurally strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. A fiber section model that accounts for inelastic material behavior as well as the construction sequence including transfer, composite action between the cast-in-place deck and girder, and bonding of CFRP laminates, is developed. The model is verified and is then used to conduct thousands of Monte Carlo simulations of a number of bridges designed according to the 1998 AASHTO LRFD. The bridge designs address a broad range of design parameters. The numerical simulations are used to develop cross-sectional resistance models from which the flexural reliability of the designed bridges is calculated using the first-order reliability method. An equation for the flexural strength reduction factor for PSC bridge girders strengthened with CFRP laminates is proposed.