Here is an article that explains how carbon fiber can be used to fix bridges in Georgia.
foundation repair Utah using high-performance materials to make Bridges Last Longer and Stronger. Field and laboratory studies in Georgia show that carbon fiber composites can be used efficiently and cost-effectively –increasing bridge strength and service life –with minimal or no disruption to traffic.
In the 1950s, aerospace technologies started to utilize carbon fibers to make high-performance materials that have increased strength and stiffness, lighter in addition to heat loss. Carbon fibers are between 8 and 10-times stronger than steel but they’re 5 times lighter while the reinforced material will not corrode as steel or aluminum.
Since the past 10 years European countries as well as Japan as well as America have United States have used polymer composite materials for strengthening repairing, replacing, and rehabilitating bridge components. The materials used that are used in bridge construction are manufactured in a factory or on the field.
PROBLEM
A lot of U.S. bridges are near the final stage of Utah helical piers design and will require replacement or repair. Both are expensive and can cause delays and disruptions for road users. Finding efficient and cost-effective methods of extending the lifespan of bridges without causing the most amount of traffic disruptions is an absolute requirement.
SOLUTION
Application of Carbon Fiber Fabric on Georgia SR 2
Application of Carbon Fiber Fabric on Georgia SR 2
In 1996, the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) working in conjunction along with Federal Highway Administration and Abdul-Hamid Zureick from Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology, started field and laboratory studies to study carbon composite bridge rehabilitation using fibers as well as to provide designs and guidelines for construction. The laboratory research involved testing fully-sized bridge decks as well as beams and caps for piers. One study found that on average, the bridge decks that were rehabilitated that were made with carbon composites had 33 percent greater strength than bridge decks made of carbon composites.
Carbon Fibers
Georgia DOT decided to evaluate carbon fibers for the repair of bridge decksand caps and girders. A first study in the field was conducted in the State Route (SR) 2 bridge crossing the Conasauga River Overflow, east of Ringgold in north Georgia. The two-lane bridgewas built in 1957, measures 350 feet long and includes 10 pilasters.
Two contractors replaced one of the cap caps of the bridge during Spring 1997, using field-manufactured composites. One contractor employed carbon-reinforcing fabrics which weighed 9 oz/yd and the other used an even thicker, mechanically carbon-reinforcing carbon-reinforcing epoxy which was 18 oz/yd2. After the surface was prepare for the concrete several epoxy injections and spall repair, the initial layer of epoxy apply and the carbon fiber fabric was hung manually.
In lab tests in laboratory tests, the strength of similarly repaired pier caps beyond the strength of the original cap by approximately 25 percent as well as the anchor bolts gave way before any failure of the cap piers. Testing static loads conducted on SR 2 showed that the repair worked in confining the concrete as well as transferring loads. Tests in the laboratory also identified the most effective patterns of fabric wrapping for the caps on the piers.
