Research Activities: 2004

Strengthening of Rural Bridges Using Rapid-Installation FRP Technology
 

As part of this project, different bridges in the Crawford, Dent, Phelps, and Washington Counties will be strengthened using innovative technologies.

Phelps County

Four bridges were strengthened using an innovative method developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly University of Missouri - Rolla, consisting of strengthening reinforced concrete members using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) laminates, having high bearing and longitudinal strengths, mechanically fastened to concrete elements using wedge anchors spaced in a proper pattern. The results are rapid and the method uses conventional and typically available hand-tools, lightweight materials and unskilled labor.

The four bridges are No. 1330005, No. 3855006, No. 2210010 and No. H356. For each of these bridges a report is presented. Such reports contain: analysis, design and load rating, assessment of the structure after strengthening through load testing.

Bridge No. 1330005 is located on Route 3560 over a dry branch of the Meramec River in Phelps County, Missouri, USA. The total length of the bridge is 7.9 m and the total width of the deck is 6.7 m. The span of the bridge consists of four reinforced concrete (RC) girders monolithically cast with a 152 mm deep deck. It can be assumed as simply-supported by the abutments. The bridge was load posted to a maximum weight of 10 ton. As a result of the strengthening the load posting was removed. View Report for Bridge No. 1330005.

Bridge No. 3855006   is located on Route 3855 (Industrial Drive) over a branch of Dry Creek in the City of St. James, Phelps County, Missouri, USA and was originally built in 1976. The total length of the bridge is 7.8 m and the total width of the deck is 6.8 m. The structure is a 2-span continuous beam and each span consists of three reinforced concrete (RC) girders monolithically cast with a 190mm deep deck. The bridge was not posted at the time of the strengthening even though the actual rating was less than 10 ton. As a result of the strengthening the load posting was removed. View Report for bridge No. 3855006.

Bridge No. 2210010 is located on County Road 6120 over Corn Creek in Phelps County, Missouri, USA. The total length of the bridge is 9.7 m and the total width of the deck is 6.3 m. The structure is a 3-span 229 mm deep deck: one span is simply-supported while the other two are continuous. The bridge was load posted to a maximum weight of 12 ton. As a result of the strengthening load posting was removed. View Report for bridge No. 2210010.

Bridge No. H356 is a two-span simply supported reinforced concrete slab with no transverse steel reinforcement, located on the Old Highway 63 in Phelps County, Missouri. The original construction combined with the presence of very rigid parapets caused the formation of a wide longitudinal crack, resulted in the slab behaving as two separate elements. The structural behavior was verified using a finite element model of the bridge model. View Report for Bridge No. H356.

 
View Final Report for this project.