Mechanical performance of concrete pavement reinforced by CFRP grids for bridge deck applications

Abstract In this paper we develop and investigate a novel composite bridge deck (CPCG deck) formed by a steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) pavement reinforced by carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) grids. This approach may mitigate damage in traditional asphalt pavement systems and in cracking of steel deck plates as observed in existing orthotropic steel bridges. An experimental study of CPCG decks subjected to four-point bending is presented considering different locations of CFRP grids in the depth direction. Two groups of CPCG decks are fabricated and tested to investigate their mechanical performance under positive and negative bending moments. A simplified theoretical model based on Timoshenko beam theory is proposed to predict the load deflection behaviour of the CPCG decks, and the section transformation method is used to calculate the stress distribution along the depth of the composite decks. The calculated results demonstrate good agreement with the experimental results. The results from parametric analysis further show that the best location of CFRP grids is in the horizontal direction of the pavement within the upper depth of the pavement. CFRP grids formed by SFRC can effectively increase the stiffness of steel deck plates. The effect has also been confirmed by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using three-dimensional models.