Long term monitoring of bridges strengthened and constructed with fiber reinforced polymer technologies

Field validation of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bridges through load testing provides a means of measuring the performance of a bridge over time. Non-contact optical surveying equipment is one such method that can be utilized to measure the deflection of bridges under a static truck load. This thesis looks at monitoring bridges over time that have been both strengthened and constructed with FRP technologies. Five structurally deficient Missouri bridges have recently been retrofitted with FRP technologies with the intent to validate the overall in-situ performance. Testing focused on Nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques as a means of conducting these tests without damaging the existing structures. Static load testing was conducted and the results of the pre-strengthened and post-strengthened deflections have been used to evaluate the structural health over time --Abstract, page iii