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Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

September–October 2016
Volume 61, Number 5

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

Fiber-reinforced polymers

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Use of CFRP inbridge applications

37

49

CFRP grid
Behavior offor precast flanges reinforced
concrete piles
with CFRP

Kenichi Ushijima, Tsuyoshi Enomoto, Noriaki Kose, and Yoshiaki Yamamoto

Field deployment ofcarbon-fiber-reinforced polymer
in bridge applicationsIn harsh climates, corrosion of steel reinforcement
and prestressing strands creates concerns for safety,
long-term durability, and the need for rehabilitation
work. Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP)
materials are an alternative because of their noncorrosive
nature, durability, high tensile strength, and light weight.
CFRP has been used in cold regions, where deicing chemicals
applied during the winter season can corrode steel reinforcement and strands in bridge superstructure components,
including the beams and deck.

Bridge Street Bridge, the first bridge in the United States
to use CFRP in the form of carbon-fiber-composite cable(CFCC), was built in Michigan in 2001. Since then, extensive
experimental, analytical, and numerical research investigations
have been conducted by the researchers. Initially, CFCC wasrarely used in highway bridge construction. Since 2011, however, the use of CFCC has been increasing in highway bridge
applications. Eighteen completed projects have used CFCC in
the United States, and there are three future projects planned
that will use CFCC.
■ Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials are an alternative to steel reinforcement and prestressing strands in harshclimates because of their noncorrosive nature, durability, hightensile strength, and light weight.
■ CFRP has been used in bridges in the form of carbon-fibercomposite cable (CFCC). CFCC’s unique performance influences the design requirements of members with CFCC reinforcement.
■ Design specifications that are under development will help
highway transportation agencies make decisions about the useof CFRP for prestressed concrete bridge beams.

In Michigan, three highway bridges were built with CFCCprestressed concrete beams in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and fourside-by-side box-beam bridges were transversely posttensioned
with unbonded CFCC in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015. InMaine, CFCCs were transversely posttensioned for the Little
Pond Bridge in Fryeburg in 2012 and were longitudinally pretensioned for the Kittery overpass bridge in 2014. In Kentucky,
CFCCs were used for a hybrid I-girder in the Taylor Countybridge. In Virginia, CFCCs were used for a bulb-tee girder inthe Route 49 bridge over Aaron’s Creek. In North Carolina,
a research project was conducted for the use of CFCC in acored deck slab. In Florida, CFCCs were used in the double-tee
beams of a pedestrian bridge at the University of Miami.
PCI Journal | S e p t e m b e r – O c t o b e r 2016

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The other major use of CFRP is for coastal areas, whereseawater and wind can corrode steel reinforcement andstrands in substructure elements, such as concrete piles. TheFlorida Department of Transportation (FDOT) conducteda research project in which five 24 in. (610 mm) square piles
were fabricated for tensile testing and for driving tests in thefield. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
built its Nimmo Parkway bridge using CFCC in precast
concrete piles—the first CFCC bridge pile application in theworld.
In addition to its application in replacing bridges, CFRP
has been used to strengthen bridges. In Louisiana, 17.2 mm(0.7 in.) diameter CFCC has been used as external cable forthe repair of the east girder of the Interstate 10 bridge in NewOrleans. In addition, CFCCs were partially used in the cablesof the cable-stayed Penobscot Narrows Bridge in Maine.
The following CFCC projects are planned for 2016:•CFCC will be used for Michigan highways M 100 and M 86.

•The Ohio Department of Transportation will build its
first CFCC prestressed side-by-side box-beam bridge.

•The FDOT Halls River bridge project will use CFCC asprestressing strand for precast concrete piles and precast
concrete sheet piles.

•The Louisiana Department of Transportation andDevelopment plans to use CFCC as prestressing strandfor precast concrete piles.

fications for the Michigan Department of Transportation(MDOT) and AASHTO NCHRP (National Cooperative
Highway Research Program) 12-97 have been under development by researchers. These design specifications will help highway transportation agencies make decisions about the use ofCFRP for prestressed concrete bridge beams.

Characteristics of CFCC
and anchorage systems
In addition to its noncorrosive nature, CFCC is characterized
by its light weight and high tensile strength. The light weight
enhances the workability and ease of handling of the materials.
CFCC does not exhibit any yield phenomena. Its stress-strain
relationship is linear to failure. The elastic modulus is less thanthat of steel strands, so the materials will reach larger strains
at comparable loading, thus experiencing larger deflections
and pseudoductility. This unique performance influences thedesign requirements of members with CFCC reinforcement.
The anchorage system is a challenge when using CFCC in thefield. Conventional anchoring devices that are used for steel
strands are not suitable for CFCC because they damage thesurface of CFCC and cause premature failure at the anchorage portion. Therefore, a new anchoring system needed to bedeveloped. There are two types of anchorage systems currently
available. The first anchorage system is composed of a threaded
steel socket-and-nut system that is connected to the CFCC

Due to the lack of statewide or nationally accepted American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO) design specifications, drafts of CFRP guide speciProperties of CFCC compared with steel strands of similar diameter
CFCC

Grade 270
steel
strands

Diameter, in.

0.6

0.6

Effective cross-sectional area, in.2

0.179

0.217

Density, lb/ft

0.149

0.737

Ultimate tensile strength (minimum), ksi

339

270

Modulus of elasticity, ksi

22,40029,000Elongation at break, %1.5

3.5(minimum)

Property

Note: CFCC = carbon-fiber-composite cable. 1 in. = 25.4 mm; 1 in.2
= 645.2 mm2; 1 lb/ft = 0.01459 kN/m; 1 ksi = 6.895 MPa; Grade 270 =1860 MPa.

30Septe mb e r – Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 6 | PCI Journal

Anchorage system of posttensioning. Note: CFCC = carbon-fiber-composite cable.

Terminal fixer.

Anchorage system of pretensioning. Note: CFCC = carbon-fiber-composite cable.

using highly expansive material. This system is recommended
for posttensioning applications.

the anchorage efficiency and avoid slippage of the CFCC.
This system can further be employed in a joint coupler that isused to connect CFCC to steel strands. The joint coupler has
been considered and developed to allow the tensioning of theCFCC by pulling steel strands so that precasters can utilize theconventional pretensioning procedure and equipment.

The other anchorage system is a steel wedge-sleeve system.
This system is developed for pretensioning applications.
Buffer materials are wrapped around the strands to improve
CFCC projects
ProjectStateYear

Application

Pembroke bridge over Southfield Freeway

Michigan

2011

Beam/posttensioned

M 102 bridges over Plum Creek, Southfield

Michigan

2013/14Beam/pretensioned

Interstate 94 bridges over Lapeer Road, Port Huron

Michigan

2014/15

Beam/posttensioned

Kittery overpass bridge over State Route 234Maine

2014

Beam/pretensioned

Nimmo Parkway bridge

Virginia

2014

Precast concrete pile/pretensioned

Route 49 bridge over Aaron’s Creek

Virginia

2015

Beam/pretensioned

KY 70 bridge over Stoner Creek, Taylor County

Kentucky2014

Beam/pretensioned

Innovation Bridge at University of Miami

Florida2016

Beam/pretensioned

Note: CFCC = carbon-fiber-composite cable.

PCI Journal | S e p t e m b e r – O c t o b e r 201631

Deployment of CFCC
in the field
Details of the CFCC projects mentioned are explained in thefollowing sections.
Pembroke bridge over Southfield Freeway, Detroit, Mich.
(2011)MDOT built the Pembroke bridge to replace a deteriorated
steel bridge over Southfield Highway M 39 in Detroit. The
two-span bridge is 32.51 m (106.7 ft) long. Each span comprises 16 box beams with 150 mm (6.0 in.) composite deck. Eachbeam is 686 mm (27.0 in.) deep and 1220 mm (48.0 in.) wide
and is prestressed with low-relaxation steel strands. Each span
has six transverse diaphragms. One 37-wire 40 mm (1.6 in.)diameter CFCC was used for transverse posttensioning tointegrate the adjacent box beams.
Traditional steel posttensioning tendons would require grouting of the ducts for corrosion protection. Due to the noncorrosive nature of CFCC, the ducts did not need to be grouted,
which has advantages. If the cable stress needs to be adjusted
during the service life of the structure or if a beam is damaged
by a high load impact and needs to be replaced, the cables canbe destressed for the adjustment or replacement work. CFCC
was passed through a 150 mm (6.0 in.) diameter conduit andtensioned with a force of 685 kN (154 kip) at each diaphragm,corresponding to 57% of the 1200 kN (270 kip) breaking
load. The anchorage devices were installed on the CFCC atthe factory using 520 mm (20.5 in.) long threaded stainlesssteel sockets and expansive grout. After tensioning, the force
in each CFCC was secured using a threaded stainless steel locknut. Load cells were attached to the dead end of each CFCC
to monitor the force level during construction and in service.
The bridge was opened to traffic in December 2011. The moni-32

Completion of the Pembroke bridge over Southfield Freeway in Michigan.

toring system started in January 2012 and will continue until
September 2020.
M 102 bridges over Plum Creek, Southfield, Mich. (2013and 2014)
MDOT replaced an existing earth-filled arch culvert on M 102(8 Mile Road) with a CFCC prestressed spread box-beam
structure. M 102 is a major urban route in the Detroit metropolitan area with four lanes of traffic in each direction. CFCC
was thoroughly applied for the new precast concrete bridge
as noncorrosive tendons, stirrups, and reinforcing bars. Eachbridge was constructed with a skew angle of 45 degrees, aspan of 20.7 m (67.9 ft), and a deck width of 18.8 m (61.7 ft).
Each bridge superstructure comprises eight spread box beams
supporting a 230 mm (9.1 in.) thick reinforced concrete deckslab. Each box beam has a width of 1220 mm (48.0 in.) and a
depth of 840 mm (33 in.) and is prestressed by a total of 37
CFCC 15.2 mm (0.6 in.) diameter prestressing strands withan initial prestressing force of 146 kN (32.8 kip) per strand.
The constructed beams were shipped to the site, and after theEnd of transverse posttensioning strand for the Pembroke bridge in

Placing carbon-fiber-composite cable reinforcements in the deck of the M 102Michigan.

bridges over Plum Creek in Michigan.

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Prestressing bed with carbon-fiber-composite cable from the M102 bridges over
Plum Creek in Michigan.

Completion of the eastbound Interstate 94 bridge over Lapeer Road in Port Huron, Mich.

beams were placed the crew fabricated the formwork for thedeck slab, which was also reinforced with two lattices of CFCC
reinforcement.

Kittery overpass bridge over State Route 234, Maine (2014)

Two side-by-side box-beam bridges were constructed to carrythe east- and westbound Interstate 94 over Lapeer Road inPort Huron, Mich. The eastbound and westbound bridges
were completed in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Each bridge
consists of three spans with total length of 50 m (164 ft). The
eastbound bridge, with a width of 17.6 m (57.7 ft), is composed of 14 beams and is posttensioned using 20 CFCCs witha 40 mm (1.6 in.) diameter and a transverse posttensioning
force of 623 kN (140 kip) per diaphragm. The westboundbridge, with a width of 18.8 m (61.7 ft), comprises 15 beams
and is posttensioned using 20 CFCCs with a 40 mm diameterand transverse posttensioning force of 667 kN (150 kip) per
diaphragm. The box beams in both bridges have a depth of
840 mm (33 in.) and a width of 1220 mm (48.0 in.).

After the successful deployment of CFCC in Little Pond
Bridge, where CFCC was used as transverse posttensioning
cables, Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT)
built its first precast, prestressed CFCC bridge in 2014.
This 19.2 m (63.0 ft) simply
supported bridge comprises
eight precast concrete double-tee beams, called northeast extreme tee (NEXT)beams. Each beam has a deck
width of 2655 mm (104.5in.), depth of 915 mm (36.0in.), and span of 18.9 m(62.0 ft). Each beam wasprestressed with 40 CFCCs
with a diameter of 15.2 mm(0.6 in.). The initial jacking
force was 176 kN (39.5 kip)
Installation of anchoring devices for
the Kittery overpass bridge in Maine.
per strand.

Passing carbon-fiber-composite cable strand through conduit for the Interstate 94

Completion of northeast extreme tee beam for the Kittery overpass bridge inbridges over Lapeer Road in Michigan.

Maine.

Interstate 94 bridges over Lapeer Road, Port Huron, Mich.
(2014 and 2015)

PCI Journal | S e p t e m b e r – O c t o b e r 201633

Nimmo Parkway bridge, Virginia (2014)
In Virginia, to mitigate the problem of corrosion, CFCC
was used in the prestressed concrete piles of a bridge near theAtlantic coast. This particular bridge, on the Nimmo Parkway
in Virginia Beach, had 18 prestressed piles—out of 272
total—constructed using CFCC. The Nimmo Parkway bridge
is 457.2 m (1500 ft) long and traverses West Neck Creek andadjacent wetlands. The new bridge, near the Virginia Beach
Municipal Center, is wider than the original to reduce urban
traffic congestion and improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. It is expected that the use of CFCC will be beneficial
to mitigate corrosion and help reduce the maintenance costs
required in this particular marine environment.

Completed precast concrete piles for the Nimmo Parkway bridge in Virginia.

Route 49 bridge over Aaron’s Creek, Virginia (2015)
VDOT built its first bridge with CFRP reinforcement in 2014.
This is a two-span bridge with a total deck width of 9.85 mm(32.3 ft). Each span has a length of 25.46 m (83.53 ft). The
span comprises four 1143 mm (3.75 ft) deep bulb-tee girders.
Each bulb-tee girder was prestressed with forty-four 15.2 mm(0.6 in.) diameter CFCCs. Each strand was prestressed with an
initial prestressing force of 147 kN (33 kip). The stirrups werealso made of CFCC and had 15.2 mm (0.6 in.) and 17.2 mm(0.68 in.) diameter.

Driving test of the precast concrete pile for the Nimmo Parkway bridge in Virginia.
Prestressing bed with carbon-fiber-composite cable strands/spirals for piles for
the Nimmo Parkway bridge in Virginia.

610 mm square pile
16 strands of CFCC
15.2 mm seven-wire strand
Spiral CFCC 5.7 mm single-wirestrandPile. Note: CFCC = carbon-fiber-composite cable. 1 in. = 25.4 mm.

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Septe mb e r – Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 6 | PCI Journal

Preparation for setting stirrups for the Route 49 bridge in Virginia.

construction and increase the safety of accelerated bridge construction methods. The use of CFCC and stainless steel reinforcement in place of the traditional corrosion-prone steel tendons and reinforcement, will increase the expected service lifeof the bridge. The bridge is 23.33 m (76.54 ft) long and 8.3 m(27 ft) wide. The bridge has six beams, which are 1016 mm(3.33 ft) deep and 1370 mm (4.5 ft) wide. Each beam was prestressed with twenty-nine 15.2 mm (0.6 in. ) diameter CFCCs
with a load of 55% of its guaranteed capacity.
Innovation Bridge at the University of Miami, Coral Gables,Fla. (2015)

A new hybrid I-girder bridge was built to replace a functionally obsolete bridge on KY 70 over Stoner Creek in Taylor
County. The two-span, reinforced concrete deck girder bridgeand center pier were replaced with a single-span hybrid I-girderbridge. This is the first time that CFCC pretensioned beams
were used by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The use ofprecast concrete beams could lessen congestion associated withAt the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus, a pedestrian
bridge, called the Innovation Bridge, was built with the intentionof ensuring a 75-year service life. The bridge has a 21 m (70 ft)
long single span and used only composite materials, without asingle pound of mild steel in any element of the bridge. The two
precast concrete girders were in the shape of double-tee beams,
which are typically used for parking structures. Each girder is
762 mm (2.5 ft) deep and 2171 mm (7.12 ft) wide. Each girder
stem was prestressed with nine 15.2 mm (0.6 in.) diameter
CFCCs. Each strand was tensioned to a load of 180 kN (41 kip),corresponding to approximately 70% of its guaranteed capacity.

Staggering of anchoring devices for the KY 70 bridge in Kentucky.

Carbon-fiber-composite cable strands in the stem for the Innovation Bridge in Florida.

Fabrication of the beam for the KY 70 bridge in Kentucky.

Completion of double-tee beam for the Innovation Bridge in Florida.

Removing beams from forms for the Route 49 bridge in Virginia.

KY 70 bridge over Stoner Creek, Taylor County, Ky. (2014)

PCI Journal | S e p t e m b e r – O c t o b e r 201635

Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate the support and assistance provided by Nabil Grace, Distinguished Professor at Lawrence
Technological University in Southfield, Mich.; Matthew
Chynoweth, deputy metro region engineer for MDOT;
Wayne Frankhauser, bridge program manager for MaineDOT;
Celik Ozyildirim, principal research scientist for VDOT;Issam Harik, professor at the University of Kentucky inLexington; and Antonio Nanni, professor at the University ofMiami.
The authors also acknowledge the assistance provided by Aiko
Shirakawa of Tokyo Rope Manufacturing Co. Ltd.’s CFCC
division.

About the authors
Kenichi Ushijima is plant manager
for Tokyo Rope USA Inc.

Tsuyoshi Enomoto, PhD, is a sales
engineer and vice president forTokyo Rope USA Inc.

Abstract
Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials are
an alternative to steel reinforcement and prestressing
strands in harsh climates because of their noncorrosive
nature, durability, high tensile strength, and light weight.
This paper discusses the use of CFRP in bridges in theform of carbon-fiber-composite cable (CFCC). CFCC’s
unique performance influences the design requirementsof members with CFCC reinforcement. The American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
and Michigan Department of Transportation are developing guidelines that will help highway transportation agencies make decisions about the use of CFRP for prestressed
concrete bridge beams.

Keywords
Noriaki Kose is manager of the carbon-fiber-composite cable division ofTokyo Rope Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Anchorage, bridge, carbon-fiber-composite cable, carbonfiber-reinforced polymer, CFCC, CFRP, coast, corrosion,durability, girder, prestressing, reinforcement, steel.

Reader comments
Yoshiaki Yamamoto is president
and CEO of Tokyo Rope USA Inc.
and deputy general manager of thecarbon-fiber-composite cable division of Tokyo Rope ManufacturingCo. Ltd.

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Septe mb e r – Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 6 | PCI Journal

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