Load carrying capacity and durability of PC girder using CFCC tendon under long-term exposure in corrosive salt environment

Abstract

The Shinmiya Bridge was completed in October 1988 in Ishikawa, Japan. This was the first prestressed concrete bridge in Japan, and the world, to utilize carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (Carbon Fiber Composite Cable, CFCC) tendons in its main girders to counteract salt damage. To investigate and clarify the serviceability and durability of the main girders after a long period of service in a corrosive environment, two full-scale PC test girders were fabricated and placed next to the main girders in the same conditions at the time of the original construction from 1988. One of them was used for a destructive test in 1994. In this study, another test specimen exposed to a severe environment for 30 years was subjected to a destructive bending test and CFCCs taken out from the test girder were analyzed via mechanical and chemical tests. The suitability of the CFCC and durability of the main girder were confirmed. In addition, a numerical model was proposed to predict the behavior of a main PC girder using a finite element analysis program called DIANA. The influences of the input data from the experiment, the decrease in material properties, and the bond-slip model were studied in the simulation.