Abstract
AbstractThe use of precast concrete tunnel linings (PCTLs) has been escalating due to its efficient and economical installation process. Such structural elements are typically designed for a service life of 100 years or greater. However, traditional steel-reinforced PCTL segments suffer from corrosion of reinforcement intensified by the corrosive environment of tunnels. Replacement of steel reinforcement with non-corroding glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars is a viable solution to mitigate the corrosion problem in tunnels. This study evaluates the efficiency of GFRP-reinforced PCTL segments under bending load. Two full-scale tunnel segment specimens with the arc length of 3100 mm, width of 1500 mm, and thickness of 250 mm were constructed and tested under a three-point bending load. One of the specimens was reinforced with GFRP bars and the other was reinforced with steel rebars with an identical reinforcement configuration. The structural performance of the specimens was investigated in terms of cracking, failure mechanism, serviceability, and load–deflection behavior. The results indicated that the GFRP-reinforced specimen had a favorable compression-controlled flexural failure achieving a 33% greater peak load compared to the steel-reinforced one. Besides, the service load crack width of the GFRP-reinforced specimen successfully satisfied the requirement of CAN/CSA S6-19. Furthermore, the GFRP-reinforced specimen had 33% lower deflection at service load relative to the steel-reinforced one.
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