Strengthening of damaged PSC bridge girders with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer “CFRP” System S.N. Agarwal* K. C Swami** Avinash Kumar@ Synopsis Application of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer, CFRP, system in the rehabilitation of bridge structures are gaining importance in the recent decades owing to the advantages it possesses in comparison with other traditional methods of repair and strengthening. This paper deals with the strengthening done for the damaged PSC girders of Railway Bridge, having numerous vertical flexural cracks originating from bottom of girders, with CFRP composite system. Prestressed CFRP laminates along with U CFRP sheet wrapping were used to enhance the flexural stiffness of damaged PSC girders. ACI 440-2R-2008 was used for designing the strengthening scheme. Structural response of girders was measured pre and post strengthening to assess the effectiveness of repair. Test results showed that with proper detailing, CFRP system can be designed to enhance the flexural capacity of damaged/cracked prestressed girders. Keywords:- CFRP laminate, PSC girder, Instrumentation, debonding, natural frequency, deflection. FGMISE Railway **CBE/ Western Railway @Dy. CE (Design)/ Western Railway 338Introduction: The external bonding of high-strength Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) to structural concrete members has widely gained popularity in recent years, particularly in rehabilitation works. Comprehensive experimental investigations conducted in the past have shown that this strengthening method has several advantages over the traditional ones, due to its corrosion resistance, high stiffness-to-weight ratio, improved durability and flexibility in its use. The need for rehabilitation or strengthening of bridges and other structures may arise due to one or combination of several factors including construction or design defects, increased load carrying demands, change in use of structure, structural elements damage, seismic upgrade, or meeting new code requirements. These factors may cause the structure structurally inefficient and sometimes responsible for making the structures functionally obsolete. To repair and maintain the existing infrastructure instead of replacing it is gaining importance owing to the economic viability it offers. Bridges built several decades ago may need rehabilitation owing to deterioration with age and also due to changes in the current design codes of practice. CFRP system is one of the non conventional methods of strengthening offering several advantages and has been used for the strengthening and up gradation of several important bridge structures around the world Prestressed bonded CFRP laminates may be used to enhance the serviceability of girder to which they are added and to recover the loss of prestress effects to structurally deficient prestressed concrete girders. Sailent features of Br No. 114 Bridge No. 114UP is located on Godhra- Ratlam section of Delhi- Mumbai route having four spans of 18.3m constructed during 1958-60. The deck of this bridge is of two PSC | girders with composite RCC deck slab. The effective and overall lengths of spans are 19.17m and 19.67m respectively. This bridge is located 3393. on a very important route carrying one BG track. There were vertical cracks in PSC girders at multiple locations in span No. 2 and 4 originating from bottom faces of | girders. The substructure of the girder is of stone masonry in cement mortar. 4900 i J 8 | T 2 et baw it [424 eo Fig-1 Bridge No. 114 (4X 18.3m) Fig-2 Cross Section having cracks girders details of Superstructure As these cracks were structural cracks, speed restriction of 45 kmph was imposed. During close monitoring of these cracks, it was noticed that these cracks were active and progressing further; hence speed restriction was further reduced to 20 kmph. This problem was also referred to RDSO to suggest suitable repair/rehabilitation scheme. RDSO suggested that these are structural cracks and the girders require immediate repair/strengthening till they are replaced. ig.3 Cracks in PSC girder Material properties: The design and drawings of the girders were not available with Railway. Hence the material properties and profile of prestressing 340cables were determined by performing some non-destructive tests. Rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity test were carried out to know the compressive strength, homogeneity and integrity of concrete. Ground penetration Radar survey was done to know the profile of prestressing cables. Tensile test of prestressing cable were done to know the tensile strength of cables. Average value of compressive strength obtained from rebound hammer test is 52.95 MPa. Average value of ultra sonic pulse velocity is 3.41 Km/s. The lesser value of UPV test indicates presence of cracks in girders. Table-1: Properties of Concrete and prestressing wire Grade of concrete of RCC deck slab M20 Grade of concrete of PSC girders M35 No of cables in each girder 6 No. of strands in a cable 8 Diameter of one strand 8mm Tensile strength of prestressing steel] 1600 MPa Table 2:- Properties of CFRP system Width of CFRP laminate 100 mm Thickness of CFRP laminate 2.4mm Modulus of Elasticity of CFRP laminate,E 165 GPa Tensile Strength of CFRP laminate 1800 Mpa Rupture Strain of CFRP Laminate 0.012 Prestressing Force Applied on one laminate 80 KN 3414. Installation of CFRP system:- Repair of Damaged concrete of PSC girder (I) Before installation of CFRP system the damaged concrete should be repaired. All problems associated with the condition of concrete that can compromise the integrity of CFRP system should be properly addressed before surface preparation begins. (ii Corrosion related deterioration should be repaired by applying anti corrosive paint on exposed reinforcement as the corroded reinforcement will cause further corrosion and the expansive forces associated with corrosion could affect the structural integrity of externally bonded CFRP system. (iii) All cracks should be grouted properly to make the concrete sound as wider cracks may affect the performance of CFRP system through delamination or fibre crushing. Surface preparation:-The surface of the concrete should be freshly exposed and free of loose or unsound materials. Surface preparation can be achieved using abrasive or water blasting technique. All laitance, dust, dirt, oil, curing compound, existing coatings and other things that can interfere with the bond of CFRP system must be removed. Application of primer and putty: - Primer should be applied to all areas on the concrete surface where the CFRP system is to be placed. The primer should be applied uniformly on the prepared surface at the manufacturer's specified rate of coverage. The applied primer should be protected from dust, moisture, and other contaminants before applying the CFRP system. Putty should be used in an appropriate thickness and sequence with the primer as recommended by the FRP manufacturer. The system- compatible putty, which is typically a thickened resin-based paste, should be used only to fill voids. 342Before applying the adhesive and laminates, the primer and putty should be allowed to cure as specified by the CFRP system manufacturer. Application of CFRP laminates (i) Fixing of anchor plate and Clamping device (ii) Adhesive should be uniformly applied to the prepared surface where CFRP laminates are to be placed. Laminates should be placed on the wet adhesive as per recommendation of CFRP. manufacturer. Entrapped air between layers should be released orrolled out. (iii) Prestressing force as per requirement applied to the CFRP laminates. Application of carbon fibre wrapping The saturating resin should be applied uniformly to all prepared surfaces where the system is to be placed. The dry fibres sheet should be gently pressed into the uncured saturating resin in a manner recommended by the CFRP system manufacturer. Entrapped air between layers should be released or rolled out before the resin sets. Sufficient saturating resin should be applied to achieve full saturation of the fibres. Successive layers of saturating resin and fibre materials should be placed before the complete cure of the previous layer of resin. (iv) Application of protective coating: - The protective coating should be applied to the exterior surface of the cured CFRP system after the adhesive or saturating resin has cured to. protect the bonded CFRP reinforcement from potentially damaging environmental and mechanical effects. Finalisation of strengthening scheme As the bridge was very old constructed in 1958-60, no structural details and drawing were available with Railway. During inspection it was noticed that cracks were active under passage of 343,6.1 trains. As the cracks were active only under live load, it was safely assumed that bottom fibres of PSC girder are just in compression due to dead and superimposed loads in service. The perstressing force in cables was calculated for zero stress condition of bottom fiber of PSC girder in service condition due to dead and superimposed loads. The design was done by adopting design philosophy and provisions of ACI 440.2R-08, “Guide forthe design and construction of externally bonded FRP system for strengthening. concrete structures”, published by American Concrete Institute. CFRP laminates were provided in bottom of girders to enhance the flexural strength of the girders. Total 10 CFRP laminates were provided, 5 on each girder. U wrap CFRP sheet wrapping were provided for shear strengthening of girders, Hex two layers at L/3 distance from supports andone layer # in middle portion of 500 4 mm width @ 800mm c/c. Two 300 mm wide CFRP | Fé. fiber sheets were also # Leeod provided in longitudinal Fig-4: Cross section of strengthened girders direction. Carats Prestressing of CFRP laminates The CFRP laminates were prestressed, bonded to the concrete and anchored at ends. The benefits of stressing CFRP strips prior to application on concrete substrate are similar to that of using a bonded prestressed strand in a concrete beam. Prestressing the laminate prior to bonding has the following advantages () Provides stiffer behavior as at early stages most of the concrete is in compression and therefore contributing to the moment of resistance. (ii) Crack formation is delayed and the cracks when they appear are 344more finely distributed and narrower (crack widths are also a matter of bond properties). (iii) Closes cracks in structures with pre-existing cracks. (iv) Improves serviceability and durability due to reduced cracking. (v) With adequate anchorage, prestressing may increase the ultimate moment of resistance by avoiding failure modes associated with peeling-off at cracks and the ends of the strips. (vi) The neutral axis remains at a lower level in the prestressed case than in the unstressed one resulting in greater structural efficiency. (vii)Prestressing significantly increases the applied load at which the internal steel begins to yield compared to a non-stressed member. ig -5: U type CFRP warp in PSC girders 3456.2 6.3 Load Tests and Instrumentation Load test and instrumentation was done to compare the pre and post strengthening results and for monitoring the health of repaired girders. The scheme and method of instrumentation was approved by IIT Mumbai and Western Railway. Acceptance criteria for strengthening of damaged girders were adopted as recommended by IIT Mumbai. Opening of cracks and strains were measured for damaged girders and deflections and vibrations were measured for damaged as well as undamaged girders and results were compared. Linear Variable differential transformer, LVDT was used for measurement of deflection of girders at mid point and accelerometer was used for measurement of vibration in acceleration vs time domain. The data was converted into acceleration vs frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform algorithm to kwon fundamental frequencies. WAG-7 Loco was used for the purpose of load test for measuring deflection and to excite the girder for measuring free vibration. The measurement of vibration was taken just after passing the loco when the girders were vibrating freely. Fig-7 : Load test Using WAG-7 Loco Design philosophy The following assumptions are made in calculating the flexural resistance of the section strengthened with CFRP laminates. (i) Plane section before loading remains plane after loading; (ii) There is no relative slip between external CFRP reinforcement and the concrete; 346(iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) The shear deformation within the adhesive layer is neglected because the adhesive layer is very thin with slight variations in its thickness; The maximum usable compressive strain in the concrete is 0.003; The tensile strength of concrete is neglected; The CFRP reinforcement has a linear elastic stress-strain relationship to failure. Strain compatibility can be used to determine strain in the externally bonded FRP, strain in the nonprestressed steel reinforcement, and the strain or strain change in the prestressing steel; (viii) Additional flexural failure mode controlled by prestressing (ix) steel rupture should be investigated; and The initial strain level of the concrete substrate &,, should be calculated and excluded from the effective strain in the CFRP. The initial strain can be determined from an elastic analysis of the existing member, considering all loads that will be on the member at the time of FRP installation. Analysis should be based on the actual condition of the member (cracked or uncracked section) to determine the substrate initial strain level. 6.3.1 Failure mode:- The flexural strength of a section depends on the controlling failure mode. The following flexural failure modes should be investigated fora CFRP-strengthened section: () Crushing of the concrete in compression before yielding of the Prestressing steel; Yielding of the prestressing steel in tension followed by rupture of the CFRP laminate; Yielding of the prestressing steel in tension followed by concrete crushing; Debonding of the CFRP from the concrete substrate (CFRP debonding). 347Concrete crushing is assumed to occur if the compressive strain in the concrete reaches its maximum usable strain equal to 0.003. Rupture of the externally bonded CFRP is assumed to occur if the strain in the CFRP reaches its design rupture strain before the concrete reaches its maximum usable strain. 6.3.2 Capacity calculation:- Itwas assumed that the Stresses in bottom fibers of bottom flange of PSC girders are just in compression due to applied DL and SIDL This assumption seems to be on conservative side as the cracks were noticed to be active during application of live load only ie during passage of train above the bridge. The existing prestressing force in prestressed cables has been calculated accordingly. Step 1:- CFRP system Design material properties Rupture Strain of CFRP laminate, éf, * = 0.012 Ultimate Strength of CFRP laminate, fjy*= 1800 N/mm? The repair is of a bridge girder directly exposed to external environment. Therefore as per table 9.1 of ACI 440, a reduction factor, CE, of 0.85 is to be taken Hence, &y = Ceti * = 0.0102 Step 2:- Load calculation BM due to DL+SIDL, Mp, = 5101.21 KN-m BM due to live load for 25t loading-2008, M,, = 7166.03 KN-m Factored moment, M, = 1.2 Mp, + 1.6 Mj, = 17587.10 KN-m Step-3:- PSC girder properties Grade of concrete of slab = M20 Equivalent cylindrical strength, f,’ = 0.8 x 20 = 16 N/mm Modulus of Elasticity, Eg = 4700)/f,’ = 4700V20 = 21019 N/mm? 348Grade of concrete of PSC girder = M35 Equivalent cylindrical strength, 0.8 x 35 = 28 N/mm? Modulus of Elasticity, Ee = 4700,/f’ = 4700V35 = 27806 N/mm? Area of CFRP laminate, Ap = ntgwy = 10 x 2.4 x 100 = 2400 mm? Cross section Area, Ag = 2.55 x 10° mm? Gross moment of Inertia, Ig = 1.45 x 107? mm? Distance from top fiber of the sectional centroid, y; = 941.46 mm Effective prestressing force in cables, P, = 4069 KN Area of prestressing wire, Ap = 7235 mm? 19500 N/mm? Modulus of Elasticity of prestressing cables, Ey Effective prestressing stress, fyg = P/Ap = 562.4 N/mm? Effective prestressing Strain, ép¢ = # = 0.00288 Ep Eccentricity of prestressing force, e = 855 mm Step-4 Determine the state of strain on the beam soffit, at the time of CFRP installation. The girders are subjected to dead load and SIDL at the time of installation of CFRP laminates and itis assumed that due to DL and SIDL, the bottom fiber is just in compression. Hence, stain at beam soffit, ¢,; =0 Step 5:- Design Strain in CFRP system Debonding strain, é¢q = 0.008 as per manufacturer specification Since the debonding strain is smaller than the rupture strain, debonding controls the design of CFRP system. Step-6; Estimate the depth to the neutral axis. A reasonable initial value of neutral axis is assumed and 349adjusted after checking equilibrium Depth of Neutral axis, c= 400.25 mm ctive level of strain in CFRP laminates “fe = 0.003 (4) = ey < ea = 0.0145 > 0.008 The effective strain in CFRP corresponding to 0.003 strain of concrete in compression is more than the debonding strain. Hence CFRP debonding will be the failure mode. Step: train in the existing prestressing steel ‘dy —c smc = (5 + 60) (P—2) c = 0.00713 P. Eps = Epe + AE. 1+ ©) = 0.01001 Step-9: Stress level in Prestressing steel and CFRP laminate 1600 0.276 Jos = Eps — 0.0064 = 1523.63 N/mm? Ire = Ey Efe = 1360 N/mm? Step-10 :- Equivalent concrete compression stress block parameter @; and By Since debonding of CFRP is the failure mode, the maximum compressive stain in concrete at failure is less than 0.003. the stress in concrete at failure from strain compatibility is as under 350= 0.00191 f 466 — Ec 1 68, — 2e Be ce, — 2 a= 3Bie B1= 0.734 and a, = 0.839 Step-11- Checking internal force equilibrium Equivalent width of deck slab for M 35 grade concrete, b, = 2457 mm Width of girder at top, by = 1240 mm Aol + Ap fre (Cafes ~ by) ds 1 feBibg = 400.25 mm (equal to the assumed depth of neutral axis) Step-12:- Flexural strength component Centriod of compression force from top, ce = 128.16 mm Prestressing steel contribution to bending Mnp = Apfep (dp — Cc) =21955.60 KN-m CFRP contribution to bending Mnp = Ap fre(dg — ¢c) = 7186.80 KN-m 3516.4 Step-13: Design Flexural strength of the section AS &ps is 0.001, a strength reduction factor of k = 0.65 should be used and additional reduction factor yy = 0.85 is used for CFRP contribution to nominal capacity ® My = ® [Mnp + We Muy] (17587.10 KN-m) = 18242 KN-m>M Fig-8: PSC Girders repaired with CFRP system Acceptance criteria: Acceptance criteria adopted for acceptance of rehabilitation work as recommended by IIT, Mumbai are as under (i) Cracks: - No further progression of cracks after rehabilitation. (ii) Deflection:- Fifty to seventy percent of the excess deflection as compared to uncracked/undamaged girder will be reduced (iii) Natural frequency: - The excess natural frequency will come within 25% of the value of undamaged girder. Note:- In case of PSC girders where there is no excessive deflection or the natural frequency is already near to or within 25% of the natural frequency of uncracked/undamaged girder, the respective above criteria shall not be applicable. 3526.5 Results of Deflection and frequencies- The strengthened girders have continuously been monitored and inspected to see whether any deterioration of CFRP system has occurred or any crack initiated. It was noticed that even after passing one year after strengthening of girders neither any sign of deterioration in CFRP system nor further propagation of crack has been noticed Table 3: Deflection of girders at mid point for WAG-7 Loco ‘Span No. Deflection in mm % ‘% recovery Before After reductio | of excessive strengthening | strengthening | deflection Ist, 279 _ - = undamaged girder 2nd, 3.84 3.07 20.05 73.33 damaged irder 4th, 4.06 3.16 22.16 70.86 damaged girder Table 4 : Deflection of repaired girders in mm with time Span Date of recordings O7TAS [WHAT | MOIS [WHAT | RAGIS [SARIS [WTA | WHS Tad sor soe [ase so Pape ah [ae [an [aus sas yaa *values just after repair Table 5: Natural frequency of girders Span No. Frequency in Hz % Before After increment strengthening _| strengthenin Tat, undamaged 9.58 = girder Ind, damaged girder 364 929 732 ath, damaged girder aaa 370 3.08 353,(ii) (iii) Itcan be noted from table -3 that deflection has been reduced by 20- 22% after strengthening and percentage recovery of excess deflection with respect to uncracked girder is more than 70% which satisfies the acceptance criteria recommended by IIT. This indicated that flexural stiffness of cracked girders has considerably increased after strengthening with CFRP system. Deflection of strengthened girders has also been taken frequently to monitor the behavior of repaired girders with passage of time. It can be concluded from table-4 that the deflection is almost constant for last one year. The natural frequencies of repaired girders are more, which indicate that flexural stiffness has increased after repair. The acceptance criteria formulated for natural frequency is not applicable as the natural frequencies of damaged girders are already within 25% of the natural frequency of undamaged girder. However natural frequencies of repaired girders are more, which indicate that flexural stiffness has increased after repair. The speed restriction on the bridge was relaxed to normal sectional speed of 100 kmph after completion of strengthening work. Conclusion:- The use of CFRP laminates increases the flexural stiffness and natural frequency of cracked/damaged PSC girders. The decrease in deflections is in the range of 20-22% and increase in natural frequencies is in the range of 3.2-7.5%. The percentage recovery of excess deflection of cracked PSC girders compared to untracked girders is more than 70% after strengthening with CFRP laminates. U wrapping of CFRP sheet enhances shear strength of PSC girders as well as debonding strength of CFRP laminates. Proper CFRP repair scheme can be designed by following provisions of ACI-440-2R for capacity enhancement and desire failure mode of repaired PSC girders. 354(vi) (vii) This scheme is effective for rehabilitation, retrofit or strengthening of bridge girders due to low weight, high strength and ease of installation. The results of deflections of load tests of repaired girders are almost constant after passing one year and no further deterioration noticed. The proposed CFRP composite system has thus proved an effective method of strengthening of cracked/distressed PSC girders. (viii) The above repair technique has been implemented first time on Indian Railway and proved to be very promising, effective and economical for organization like Railway where work has to be done under traffic or a traffic block of very short duration References (i) (i) (ii (iv) ACI 440.2R-08, Guide for the Design and Construction of Externally Bonded FRP Systems for Strengthening Concrete Structures published by American Concrete institute. Technical report on the Design and use of externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer reinforcement (FRP EBR) for reinforced concrete structures, fib bulletin, 2014 ACI 318-08, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete published by American Concrete Institute. Sudhir K. Jain, C.V.R. Murthy and Sudhir Kamle “Experimental study on natural frequency of Prestressed Concrete Beam” N Krishna Raju, “Prestressed Concrete” Tata McGraw Hill 355