Evaluation of Repairs Conducted on Full-Scale, Non-Conforming/Defective Prestressed Concrete Girders (PCI BT-54)

The research involved a synthesis of national guidelines, interviews with GDOT personnel and industry stakeholders, and full-scale experimental testing of BT-54 girders with simulated nonconformance issues. Results showed that top flange repairs consistently exceeded original girder strength, while bottom flange repairs were generally effective except in bearing zones and transfer regions, where re-tensioning methods failed due to poor strand-concrete bonding. Reinforced repair surfaces demonstrated strong adhesion and structural performance, reaching at least 95% of nominal moment capacity and 90% of nominal shear capacity. Recommendations include simplifying top flange repair procedures, reconsidering the use of epoxy bonding agents, and ensuring adequate exposure of steel reinforcement for proper bond of bottom flange repairs.

Name thesis:degree_name

Civil Engineering, MS

Grantor

Georgia Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Contreras, Ana Karina

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stewart, Lauren K.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Meyer, Karl
• Kahn, Lawrence

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1853/80278

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.gatech.edu:1853/80278