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Steel Free Hybrid Reinforcement System for Concrete Bridge Decks ...

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experience with several steel-free bridge deck and other similar structures as described in<br />

Chapter 2. The approach proposed in this study where the deck slab is rein<strong>for</strong>ced with a nonferrous<br />

hybrid rein<strong>for</strong>cement system comprising continuous FRP bars and short discrete<br />

randomly oriented fibers is somewhat different from the Canadian concept. Nevertheless, it<br />

is beneficial to study and understand the Canadian experience in steel-free bridge deck<br />

designs. The innovative Canadian approach is also reported on. The above reviews<br />

facilitated design emphasis on parameters that will be useful in the current ef<strong>for</strong>t to develop<br />

design procedures <strong>for</strong> a non-ferrous hybrid rein<strong>for</strong>ced concrete bridge decks.<br />

1.4.2. Bond Per<strong>for</strong>mance of FRP <strong>Rein<strong>for</strong>cement</strong> in an FRC Matrix<br />

Good bond per<strong>for</strong>mance is essential to ensure effective use of bar strength and avoid<br />

undesired brittle failures. While de<strong>for</strong>med steel bars develop mechanical bond resistance by<br />

means of steel lugs on concrete, FRP bar develop bond resistance either by mechanical<br />

resistance (helical patterns mimicking de<strong>for</strong>med steel bars) or by frictional resistance<br />

between concrete and the uneven bar surface. Types of FRP bar, their shape and their<br />

surface treatment dictate their bond per<strong>for</strong>mance. Several studies have addressed this issue<br />

in recent years.<br />

Unique to this proposed work is combining FRC, made of short polypropylene fibers as<br />

discrete rein<strong>for</strong>cement, with FRP as primary continuous rein<strong>for</strong>cement. The short fibers tend<br />

to improve the mechanical properties of the concrete matrix by enhanced resistance to crack<br />

growth. Thus, by mitigating secondary cracking and rein<strong>for</strong>cing the weak zone around FRP<br />

bars, FRC improves the bond characteristics of the hybrid rein<strong>for</strong>cing system.<br />

Three test methods are commonly used to study bond behaviors: namely, pullout bond<br />

test, splitting bond test, and flexural bond test. These different test configurations provide<br />

different in<strong>for</strong>mation with regard to bond behaviors. Pullout tests represent the concept of<br />

anchorage and are usually adopted to study the bond behavior between rebar and concrete.<br />

Although pullout test causes concrete to be in compression and the rein<strong>for</strong>cing bar to be in<br />

tension, a stress condition not exhibited in real structures, a reasonable correlation has been<br />

found between structural per<strong>for</strong>mance and measures of per<strong>for</strong>mance in the pullout test<br />

(Cairns and Abdullah, 1992). Splitting bond tests are often used to study the splitting bond<br />

6

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