Design and Testing of Innovative Precast Concrete Structures for Railway Infrastructures using FRP Reinforcement and Fibre-Reinforced Concrete

SYM-TECH Inc. is looking to develop new corrosion-free precast concrete members (sleepers and piles) reinforced with fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) rods and using fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) for railway foundation applications. Such precast concrete members are usually reinforced with conventional or pre stressed steel reinforcements. Steel bars and strands used for reinforcement have a limited service life due to corrosion when exposed to environmental conditions observed in North America. The corrosion process ultimately causes concrete deterioration and loss of serviceability, and entails high maintenance costs. The main target of this project is to design and develop precast FRCmembers using different types of FRP reinforcement (glass and carbon bars). We also hope to use the findings of this project to propose an update of the design guidelines for precast FRP-FRC sleepers and piles. Newly developed FRP-FRC member specifications would meet the North American industry standard requirements.

Faculty Supervisor:

Faouzi Ghrib, Brahim Benmokrane

Student:

Hamdy Mohamed, Mathieu Clément, Michael Guérin

Partner:

Sym-Tech Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Automotive and transportation

University:

Université de Sherbrooke