CFRP confinement of bridge columns damaged by premature concrete deterioration: a case study in Texas

In 1998, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) identified two concrete distress mechanisms occurring on its bridge over Lake Ivie in the west central part of the state: alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and delayed ettringite formation (DEF), collectively referred to by TxDOT as premature concrete deterioration (PCD). The agency sponsored two research projects to investigate the problem. One focused on determining the remaining capacity of PCD-damaged concrete members with a case study of the Lake Ivie bridge and the other assessed treatments that could be applied to members with PCD damage. Based on findings of the study, TxDOT applied a system that waterproofed the damaged columns and then confined them using resin-bonded carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric strips. This paper describes the efforts of TxDOT to mitigate PCD damage for its Lake Ivie bridge.