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MU researchers fabricated
several concrete bridge deck slabs that are reinforced by
new materials. Tests show that composite reinforcement bars
are five times stronger than the steel currently being used.
Photo courtesy of Vellore Gopalaratnam
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Developing
Safe,
Innovative Bridges
By Jeff Neu
Steel bridges play a vital role in the U.S. transportation system, allowing people and goods to move around each state in a safe and efficient manner. In Missouri, the average age of a bridge is 49 years. Bridges across the state are showing signs of deterioration and often experience more stress and higher traffic volumes than they were designed to handle. University of Missouri-Columbia researchers are developing a new composite reinforcement system, stronger and lighter than steel, which will significantly cut down on the maintenance and safety concerns of these bridges.
“With the increasing number of vehicles
on the road, these older bridges, which were not designed to handle
this much traffic, are getting punished more than ever,”
said Vellore Gopalaratnam, professor of civil
and environmental engineering at MU. “We believe our
steel-free hybrid reinforcement system will benefit all bridges
throughout the country.”
Gopalaratnam, along with MU graduate assistant
Kenny DeYoung and undergraduate honor scholar Sarah Craig, works
with the Missouri University of Science & Technology
(MST) and the Missouri
Department of Transportation (MODOT) on the project, which
started two years ago. The MU team, working in a test site the
size of a football field, fabricated several concrete bridge deck
slabs that are not reinforced by steel, but by a system of glass
and carbon fiber reinforced polymer reinforceing bars and polypropylene
fibers.
Using a machine that pounds into the slab,
simulating traffic pressure, the team tests for stresses and cracks
in the composite material and concrete, determining how much pressure
the new bridge deck systems will deflect before they fail. Tests
show that the composite reinforcement bars are five times stronger
than the steel currently being used. The next step will be to
test these composites on a Missouri bridge within the next several
months.
Gopalaratnam believes this is a big first step toward the development of a “smart bridge”, which would have optical sensors embedded into the composite fibers to alert the transportation department of a need for maintenance.
Currently, Gopalaratnam and his team are writing a report to submit to MODOT on their progress and will seek additional funding from the National Science Foundation and MODOT in the coming months. The Innovated Bridge Research Construction Program of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration recently funded the MU-UMR-MODOT team for field implementation of this technology.
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Last Update:
August 7, 2008
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