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Show 169 THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH research posters on the hill 2012 GLASS FIBER REIN-FORCED POLYMER BARS IN PRE CAST DECK PANELS Shawn Malan (Chris Pantelides) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Utah In Utah, bridges are designed with a 75 year design life but bridge decks require replacement every 30-40 years due to the deterioration and corrosion of steel rebar reinforcing bars, which increases life-cycle costs and decreases user utility. The Utah Department of Transportation ("UDOT") is evaluating the use of glass fiber reinforced polymer ("GFRP") reinforcing rods in bridge decks as an alternative to traditional epoxy coated steel rebar in an effort to increase the life span and decrease the life cycle cost of bridges in Utah. GFRP reinforcing bars are proposed as an alternative to epoxy coated steel rebar because of their non-corroding characteristics and high strength-to-weight ratio; however, there is little research about using precast concrete panels in bridge decks reinforced with GFRP bars. The Beaver Creek Bridge on US 6 was chosen to study this concept. The deck panels used in the bridge are the first in Utah to employ GFRP reinforcing and are the longest pre-cast GFRP reinforced panels in the United States. Vibrating wire strain gauges, displacement sensors and accelerometers were placed at various locations throughout the bridge to measure strain, dis-placement and vertical accelerations. The data collected by these instruments were used to analyze the re-sponse of the deck and girders. This performance was compared to design parameters and finite element analyses from computer generated models. Analysis shows that, after two years of use, the Beaver Creek Bridge is performing well within the design requirements established by the American Concrete Institute. The study results support the hypothesis that GFRP bars can safely and cost effectively replace traditional steel rebar reinforcement in bridge decks, decreasing maintenance costs and extending deck life to match the 75 year design life of the bridge. |