Pendulum impacts into concrete bridge barriers reinforced with glass fibre reinforced polymer composite bars

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a pendulum impact test that was carried out on full-scale types PL-2 and PL-3 concrete bridge barriers reinforced with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. A new corrosion-free connection between the barrier wall and the slab using GFRP bent bars was investigated. For comparison purposes, the impact test was also performed on identical concrete barriers reinforced with conventional steel. A total of eight full-scale 10-m-long barrier prototypes were constructed and tested. The tests included four PL-2 and four PL-3 prototypes. For each type of barrier, two prototypes were reinforced with GFRP sand-coated bars and the other two were reinforced with steel bars. Pendulum crash tests using a 3.0-t pear-shaped iron ball were performed under the same conditions for each type of barrier. The behaviour of the barriers was evaluated in terms of cracking pattern, crack width, and strains in reinforcing bars. The results of this investigation led to the conclusion that the behaviour of PL-2 and PL-3 concrete bridge barriers reinforced with GFRP bars is very similar to that of their counterparts reinforced with conventional steel in terms of cracking, energy absorption, and strength.Key words: concrete bridges, bridge barriers, glass FRP bars, impact, pendulum crash test.