CFRP cables

“light like a feather”

Urs Meier
EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Materials Science and Technology
 Video
“light like a feather”
Why should CFRP be used in
bridge construction?
• enjoy, if needed, light weight
• to avoid corrosion

Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge/USA

Barney T. Martin
Blaise A. Blabac
• to avoid corrosion

Gongguan Bridge in Wuyishan

• to avoid corrosion
adhesively bonded, corroded steel plates
• to avoid fatigue
Stress [Mpa]

C.M. LAN, H. LI, Y. JU

Time [h]
• to avoid fatigue with corrosion

Fatigue without corrosion

Stress range

Endurance limit

log # of cycles needed for fracture

• to avoid fatigue
relative Stress

CFRP

Steel

log N (number of cycles)

• to avoid fretting fatigue

fretting, friction, wear

• to avoid fretting fatigue

bright ‘polished zones’

show wear due to the
friction of the epoxy
crack due to fretting

broken wire due to

fretting fatigue.
• to avoid stress corrosion

Microscopic picture of
longitudinal section
• to avoid stress relaxation
Loss of post-tensioning [%]

8 Steel: experiment
7 since 1958
6
5
4
3
2
1 CFRP: experiment
0 since 1998
0 2 4 6 No stress relaxation!
log t [h]
• to enjoy, if needed, light weight

with a sigh: WOW!

94 kg steel only 4.5 kg CFRP
for 50 m of post- for 50 m of post-
strenghtening strenghtening

Mr. Ms.
Old-Fashioned Up-to-Date
Parallel wire bundle
Steel
Density: 7.8 t/m3
CFRP
Strength: 1800 MPa
Density: 1.5 t/m3
since 200 years!
Strength: 3300 MPa
How do we grip the CFRP wires?

We developed a cone anchorage system

similar to the BBR High-Am System
But not like that!!!
Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F

Load Transfer Media

Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F

creep resistend
→ high modulus
Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F

therefore
shear peak
Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F

therefore
delamination and pullout
Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F F

Gradient
LTM
Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F F

bluted shear peak

Which load transfer media (LTM)?
F F

Tailor made shear

stress distribution
and we
R&D failed for a very longtime
für Paralleldrahtbündel
Concept of anchorage socket

Load Transfer Media

LTM
Desired radial pressure

relative displacement
Desired radial pressure

relative displacement
Danger of creep failure (pull-out)

relative displacement
CFK Paralleldrahtbündel
241 CFRP wires each 5 mm diameter, 12 MN
Parallel wire bundles

241 wires
(each 5 mm)
ultimate load: 12 MN
 Longitudinal section of anchorage
system with 241 wires
Gradient LTM

Load Side CFRP wires End of Termination

500 mm
Assembling CFRP cable
Testing CFRP cable
Stork bridge 1996 (124 m span, 2 lanes)
1996 World’s first CFRP stays
Stork Bridge

CFRP cables
Loading of fatigue test rig with CFRP cable
Fatigue loading

CFRP cables
Fatigue loading

CFRP cables
Fatigue loading

CFRP cables
Fatigue loading

CFRP cables
Fatigue loading

CFRP cables
Fatigue loading

CFRP cables
Fatigue loading 10 million cycles:
not any damage

CFRP cables
12MN CFRP 241 parallel wire bundles

R. Brönnimann, and P. Anderegg

Arrangement of FBG
CFRP wire loaded
A1
CFRP wire not loaded
FBG
A3

D1 F2
F1 F2
A1 A2 A3
D1 D2
D2 F1
A2

Cross section: positions of Meander structure of sensor

FBG sensors. accessible from both sides
Relative displacement

relative displacement
Relative displacement

relative displacement
Relative displacement

relative displacement
Stork Bridge, Winterthur
8 30

7 25
Displacement [mm]

6 20

Temperature [°C]
5 15

4 10

3 5

2 0

1 -5

0 -10
4/96 4/97 4/98 4/99 4/00 4/01 4/02 4/03 4/04 4/05 4/06 4/07 4/08 4/09 4/10
FBG vs. RSG
1600

1400

1200
strain [µm/m]

1000

800

600
K44 K44-RSG
400 K43 K43-RSG

200

0
96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
First RSG vs. FBG results

The tower of the

Stork Bridge was hit
by lightning strikes.
First RSG vs. FBG results

• 22 RSG in 1996 applied

• loss of 4 RSGs due to a lightning strike
• difference between FBG and RSG
measurements increases at a rate of about
4µm/m/year
• RSG have a slightly higher resolution
• FBG have a better stability
Bridge over the "Kleine Emme“
1998
Cross section

total post-tensioning 2 CFRP cables each of

force = 4.8 MN 91 wires of 5 mm diameter

View
Optical fibre Bragg grating
Bridge over the Kleine Emme
Sustained stress 1350 MPa

2 CFRP cables in bottom chord

each 91 wires
1998 Kleine Emme (Reusszopf)
1998 Bridge over the "Kleine Emme“

2 CFRP cables each 91 wires in bottom chord

FBG results

• No failure occurred in nearly 200 cumulated FBG

operation years at Stork Bridge.
• At Kleine Emme Bridge 8 of 21 FBG failed in 180
cumulated FBG operation years.
• The same fiber and FGB were used at both
locations.
• However differences exist in the details of
implementation and the applied strain on the
FBGs.
FBG results

• At Kleine Emme Bridge the FBGs were

embedded into the wires within an experimental
industrial pultrusion process.
• The strains are as high as ~8000 μm/m.
• At Stork Bridge the attachment of the FBGs was
controlled, without pre-damage, with a highly
established method similar like with
conventional RSGs. The strains were below 3000
μm/m.
Verdasio Bridge: External post-tensioning
1998

post-tensioned RC
 Corrosion

Prof. Thomas Keller, PE

BBR Ltd, Zurich
Continuous 2-span girder

New diaphragm New diaphragm

4 CFRP cables

the corroded steel

cables were replaced
by 4 CFRP cables
each of 600 kN
Sustained stress 1820 MPa
Verdasio Bridge, inside Box Girder

BBR VT International Ltd

Verdasio Bridge: Stress Relaxation

Not any stress relaxation

Stress relaxation: steel vs. CFRP
Sustained stress = 50% UTS
Loss of post-tensioning [%]

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1 CFRP: experiment since 1998
0
0 2 4 6
log t [h]
Dintelhavenverkeersbrug 1999

Dutch Ministry of Transport and Public Works

Spanstahl BV, BBR, TNO, CUR R-Committee 97A
Dintelhavenverkeersbrug 1999
Western Bridge

4 CFRP cables each 91 wires ø 5 mm, length 75 m

Sustained stress 1480 MPa
Arch Bridge with CFRP Hangers
CFRP Hangers
Testing CFRP cable
 Roof trusses of
church Homberg-Efze
Roof truss of church Homberg-Efze

Dr. A. Winistörfer and Dr.U. Huster

Remote monitoring of roof truss of church
 Frauenkirche in
Meissen
Project Engineer Need for a solution
Olaf Kempe due to destroyed
Dresden
joints between the
lower collar beam
and the rafters
joint damage
Laboratory
certification top end

bottom end

Set-up
Pin loaded CFRP/strap
top end
Pin loaded CFRP/strap, bottom end
Crossing
Inspection 2010
Seismic retrofitting of masonry walls
with
pre-tensioned CFRP straps

each
tendon
360 kN
Conclusions SHM

• Without SHM no CFRP in construction!

• Surprisingly high reliability of most of
these systems is a largely appreciated
result.
25 Years of Field experience proof that

• CFRP is a very reliable material in

construction.
• In rehabilitation CFRP is in many cases the
technically best suited and most
economical solution.
• New construction: as long as not the
whole lifecycle of a bridge is considered it
is not economical.