Retrofit of Full-Scale Laterally Damaged Prestressed Concrete Girders using Externally Bonded CFRP Composite: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Over-height vehicle collisions with bridges can cause significant damage to prestressed concrete girders, often leading to critical flexural deficiencies. Given the high cost of girder replacement and the need to maintain bridge serviceability, retrofitting presents a cost-effective and practical alternative. This study evaluated two full-scale 14.02 m long MoDOT type II prestressed concrete girders. Each girder was reinforced with twelve 12.7 mm low-relaxation 1860 MPa prestressing strands. The two girders were subjected to lateral impact loading using a 3180 kg impact bogie released from an elevated track with a speed of 6.56 m/s. The damaged girders corresponded to 17% and 33% loss of prestressing strands. Retrofitting of the damaged girders was performed using externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (EB- CFRP) composites on the bottom flange, and CFRP U-wraps. The flexural strength of the undamaged and repaired girders was compared against AASHTO LRFD 9th and ACI 440.2R-17 provisions. A full recovery of the as-built flexural strength was achieved. Also, an evaluation of the ACI 440.2R-17 flexural design of retrofitted PC girders using EB-CFRP was conducted.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Comments

Texas Department of Transportation, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

externally bonded CFRP; flexural deficiency; flexural strength; Over-height vehicle-bridge collision; prestressed concrete girders; retrofitting

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2211-0852; 2211-0844

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 Springer Nature, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2026

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