Field retrofit and testing of a corroded corrugated metal culvert using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers

Metal culverts have served as a common structural element in highway design since the mid 1950’s because of their low initial cost, ease of fabrication and simple construction method. There has been an epidemic of corrosion of metal culverts for the last decade. Such corrosion results in loss of cross-section and occasionally leads to structural failure of the culvert. Numerous failures have taken place imposing a high cost with the need to rebuild many culverts in addition to significant indirect costs associated with highway closure. Glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) have become a desirable material for structural strengthening and rehabilitation over the past two decades. Prior research supported by TranSET showed that GFRP profile liner can retrofit an existing metal culvert and provide structural capacity for the corroded metal culvert to extend its service for 50-100 years. This proposal requests support for field experimentation of the above noted technology. New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has recently allocated a field trial site. A mock road resembling a two-lane rural road with a 6- inch backfill above a 22-foot long and 24-inch diameter corroded metal culvert is being prepared by NMDOT. This project will perform field retrofit of the corroded metal pipe using the fit-in GFRP profile liner technology and will provide field monitoring of the retrofitted pipe under truck loads. It is the intention to monitor the retrofitted culvert for up to 60 days after the retrofit is complete. The implementation phase of this project includes developing a guidebook for Departments of Transportation (DOTs) with information on design method for the GFRP retrofit technology and recommendations for work force training on field implementation of this new technology in the future.

• Record URL:
  https://transet.lsu.edu/research-in-progress/
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 20STUNM30

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $ 160000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747106

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Project Managers:

  Mousa, Momen

• Performing Organizations:

  University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Albuquerque, NM  United States  87131-0001
• Principal Investigators:

  Taha, Mahmoud

• Start Date: 20200801
• Expected Completion Date: 20220201
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Corrosion; Fiber reinforced polymers; Field tests; Glass fibers; Life cycle analysis; Maintainability; Metal culverts; Retrofitting
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01757536
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 10 2020 9:14PM