Strengthening and Protection of Slab Deck of Yinghue Bridge with TYFO^® Fibrwrap^® Composite Systems

Located in Pingwang, about 90 km from Shanghai, the Yinghu Bridge is an important bridge with strategic significance. It connects Suzhou City, in Jiangsu Province, and Hangzhou City, in Zhejiang Province. This 12-year-old bridge had been widened 3 years before to cater to increasing volume of traffic between the two provinces.

During a recent structural assessment of the bridge, cracks were observed on the deck slab soffit of this three-span reinforced concrete bridge. Though the cracks would not lead to disastrous collapse of the bridge, the Suzhou Transportation Department required that the bridge be repaired and strengthened to cater to heavy traffic volume.

A cost-effective approach to provide an appropriate solution to repair and strengthen the reinforced concrete slabs was needed. After assessing the situation, The TYFO^® Fibrwrap^® Composite System was proposed for the retrofitting work. This system uses composite technology from the aerospace industry that can satisfy the requirements of strengthening, corrosion protection and long term durability of structures.

A total of 23 slabs were repaired and strengthened within a short period of 7 days with no disruption to usage of the bridge. The ease and speed of the installation amazed the client and the project was completed to the satisfaction of all parties involved.