GFRP Reinforced Concrete Bridge Barriers: Part 2, Experimental Studies
Abstract
Concrete road barriers are crucial for vehicle safety, preventing accidents by keeping vehicles within their lanes or away from hazardous areas. These barriers must effectively stop vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic or off-road areas, particularly after a loss of control. Understanding how barriers perform under various vehicular impacts, influenced by factors like vehicle type and impact angle, is vital. Traditionally, these barriers are steel-reinforced, offering proven strength but suffering from corrosion-related degradation. An alternative, such as Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP), offers high strength without the drawback of corrosion, suggesting a significant improvement in barrier longevity and performance. In part 1 of this work, a concrete barrier that is reinforced with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) materials is designed based on the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Type D concrete barriers with steel bar reinforcements with adjustments to meet the properties of GFRP. Based on this design, the strength as well as the behavior of GFRP reinforced concrete barrier under different types of loadings is then explored and modeled using commercial software ABAQUS and LS-Dyna. Upon completion of part 1 design and numerical studies, part 2 studies involve the fabrication and laboratory testing of four bridge barriers. Three are constructed with GFRP while one is constructed with mild steel representing current barrier detailing to serve as a comparative test. These barriers were tested under impact using a sled-style impact testing ramp at Missouri S&T. Results from physical testing show that these GFRP reinforced barriers perform at an equivalent level to barriers reinforced with mild steel.
Recommended Citation
J. J. Myers et al., "GFRP Reinforced Concrete Bridge Barriers: Part 2, Experimental Studies," Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol. 778 LNCE, pp. 1380 - 1388, Springer, Jan 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-09387-5_134
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
GFRP reinforced concrete barrier; impact testing of GFRP and steel reinforced concrete barriers; on-site impact experiment
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-303209386-8
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2366-2565; 2366-2557
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Springer, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2026
Comments
Missouri Department of Transportation, Grant None