| Composite precast concrete girders supporting cast-in-place slabs are widely used in Accelerated Bridge Construction. The steel reinforcement provided across the interface, to ensure full composite action, is susceptible to sever corrosion especially when de-icing chemicals are used. This research project is exploring an innovative and sustainable application of the non-corrodible Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) as shear transfer reinforcement in composite elements. Twenty large scale push-off specimens, each consists of two L-shaped concrete blocks cast at different times, were constructed and tested to investigate the effects of the axial stiffness and shape of the GFRP reinforcement in addition to the concrete compressive strength. The ultimate strength, relative slip, lateral separation and reinforcement strain were reported in this study. Test results showed the effectiveness of the GFRP shear friction reinforcement compared to steel. A new shear friction model for the ultimate shear transfer of interfaces intersected by GFRP reinforcement is introduced. |
