Full-Scale Test of

Prestressed
Double-Tee Beam
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer provides reinforcement for new bridge design

BY NABIL F. GRACE, GEORGE ABDEL-SAYED, FREDERICK C. NAVARRE,

RICHARD B. NACEY, WAYNE BONUS, AND LORIS COLLAVINO

urrently, advanced fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)

materials find worldwide application in the construction
of small and large structures,1-5 such as beams and
bridges. However, there are few prestressed concrete
bridges constructed using carbon fiber-reinforced
polymer (CFRP) tendons as the only flexural reinforcement.1-6 FRP is a linearly elastic material, which may not
provide a ductile failure mode if substituted directly for
steel. Results of early research investigations6-10 conducted at the Structural Testing Center of Lawrence
Technological University, Southfield, MI, have shown
that internally bonded CFRP tendons, in combination
with externally draped unbonded CFRP tendons, can
lead to reasonably ductile systems for simply supported6,7 and continuous8,10 prestressed concrete bridges.
We based both the design of the Bridge Street Bridge11
(located in the city of Southfield, MI) and the double-tee
(DT) test beam14 used in this study on these results. The
Bridge Street Bridge is the most recent CFRP prestressed
concrete bridge in the U.S., and the first to use CFRP
Leadline* tendons, carbon fiber composite cable (CFCC)
strands, and CFRP NEFMAC sheets.
Due to the lack of existing design standards for FRP
prestressed concrete bridges, the Bridge Street Bridge
design and research team decided to validate the design
and construction approach they had developed by
testing a full-scale DT beam14 to failure prior to proceeding
with the manufacture of the 12 DT beams to be used in
the bridge itself. This article presents the experimental
investigation of the DT test beam (identical to those used
in the Bridge Street Bridge 11) to evaluate the design and

52 APRIL 2003 / Concrete international

construction procedures used, along with critical major

structural parameters such as concrete strains, deflections, forces in the post-tensioning strands at the service
load, cracking load, ultimate load, and the type and
pattern of failure experienced at the ultimate load.

FABRICATION AND INSTRUMENTATION

Figure 1 shows the cross section of the DT test
beam. Reinforcement for each web of the DT beam
consisted of 10 rows of 10-mm-diameter bonded
prestressed CFRP tendons and six rows of 12.5 mm
nonprestressed CFCC strands. The cross section of the
DT beam contains four externally draped, 40-mmdiameter post-tensioned CFCC strands between the
webs and 19 10-mm-diameter nonprestressed CFRP rods
in the flange. In addition, the flange also contains two
layers of transverse, 10-mm-diameter CFRP rods. A
CFRP sheet located in the composite concrete topping
provides reinforcement to control temperature and
shrinkage cracks. Table 1 gives the mechanical characteristics of the CFRP tendons/rods and the CFCC
strands, while Table 2 and 3 present the characteristics
of the CFRP sheets and the concrete, respectively.12, 13
*

Trademark name of CFRP Leadline tendons provided by Mitsubishi

Chemical Corp., Japan

Trademark name of CFCC strands provided by Tokyo Rope Mfg. Co.,

Ltd., Japan

Trademark name of CFRP grids provided by Autocon Composites

Inc., Canada

Fig. 1: Midspan cross section of the DT test beam for the Bridge Street Bridge project

TABLE 1:
MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF THE CFRP TENDONS
AND THE CFCC STRANDS USED IN THE B RIDGE STREET B RIDGE PROJECT AND THE
DT TEST BEAM

TABLE 2:
MECHANICAL
USED IN THE

CHARACTERISTICS AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF THE NEFMAC SHEETS

PROJECT AND THE DT TEST BEAM

BRIDGE STREET BRIDGE

TABLE 3:
MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF THE PRECAST CONCRETE AND CONCRETE TOPPING
BRIDGE STREET BRIDGE PROJECT AND THE DT TEST BEAM

USED FOR THE

Fabrication
A single pan form consisting of
two stems, the top flange, and seven
transverse integral diaphragms (D1
to D7) was used to fabricate the
DT test beam. All diaphragm
formwork required special attention
to eliminate any constraints or
concrete cracking (between the
stems and diaphragms) due to
elastic shortening resulting from the
tendon release. All construction
activities took place at the precast
fabricators plant using a concrete
mixture that developed a cylinder
strength of 53.8 MPa at the time the
beam was tested. The following
paragraph outlines the sequence of
construction activities.
Installation of the CFCC and CFRP
flexural reinforcement, steel stirrups,
CFRP prestressing tendons, and other
embedded items in the formwork
(Fig. 2) marked the initial fabrication
stage. Nine of the ten rows of CFRP
tendons were draped before
pretensioning using the hold-down
Concrete international

/ APRIL 2003

53

and the hold-up rollers that kept the tendons in place

during concrete placement, while the bottom-most row
of CFRP tendons was kept straight (Fig. 3). Each CFRP
tendon was individually pretensioned to target load
levels (after seating losses) of 82 kN for rows 1 to 5 (row
numbering starts from the top to the bottom) and 87 kN
for rows 6 to 10. The concrete was placed in the
formwork and allowed to cure. After the concrete
achieved sufficient strength (45.9 kN), the CFRP tendons
were released and the prestressed beam was removed
from the formwork. Finally, the four externally draped
post-tensioning CFCC strands were installed, and, using
the manufacturers built-in anchor system, 60% of the
final post-tensioning force (445 kN) was applied to each
strand prior to transport to the testing facility (Fig. 4).
Fig. 2: The initial fabrication stage of the DT test beam included
installation of the CFCC and CFRP reinforcement, the steel
stirrups, and other embedded items in the formwork

Fig. 3: Installation and stressing of the pretensioned CFRP

tendons in the DT test beam

Fig. 4: Applying 60% of the total post-tensioning force to the

longitudinal CFCC strands

54 APRIL 2003 / Concrete international

Instrumentation
Measurement of pretensioning force: A load cell was
installed between the fabricators stressing jack at the
live end and the anchorage (chuck) and was used to
measure the pretensioning forces with a read-out device.
Also, a few load cells were positioned at the dead end of
selected tendons (between the anchor head and the
bulkhead) to verify readings taken at the live end. We
also used the elongation of the tendons and the pressure
gage of the hydraulic pump to verify the desired
pretensioning forces. Once the jacking force gage
pressure and elongation were recorded, the stressing
assembly was transferred to the next tendon. This
procedure continued until all 60 CFRP tendons were
stressed. Technicians continuously monitored the load
cells located at the dead end during and after the
concrete placement to measure any changes in the
pretensioning forces. Further details can be found in
Reference 14.
Measurement of concrete strain: Strain gages were
embedded in the concrete to measure strain distributions along the depth of the cross sections at midspan
and at the quarter spans. Of the 30 gages installed in the
test beam, 21 gages were installed in the precast section
at the fabrication plant, while the remaining nine gages
were installed in the cast-in-place concrete topping at
the testing facility. Moreover, seven, vibrating-wire strain
gages (Fig. 5) were also installed in each of the two
webs at opposite ends of the beam for transfer length
measurements. The transfer length9,14 (according to ACI
116R-90) is the length from the end of the member
where the tendon stress is zero to the point along the
tendon where the prestress is fully effective.
Measurement of post-tensioning forces: Before posttensioning, all four post-tensioning strands were instrumented with load cells at one end. The load cells were
installed between the lock nut on the strand anchor and
the bearing plate embedded in the transverse diaphragm
(D2) near the end of the beam. Initial load cell readings

were documented just before stressing the strands to

serve as a reference for all subsequent readings.
Post-tensioning forces were applied to the four CFCC
strands in the two separate stages (initial and final).
Initial post-tensioning, conducted at the precast plant,
applied 60% of the total desired post-tensioning force
(445 kN). The final post-tensioning force was applied at
the testing facility after casting the 75-mm-thick concrete
topping to bring the post-tensioning to 100% of the total
desired force.
Each stage (initial and final) of post-tensioning was
applied in two increments. During the first increment,
approximately 50% (134 kN) of the initial post-tensioning
force (30% of the total desired force) was applied by
pulling the strands from one end. The post-tensioning
setup was then moved to the opposite end to apply the
remaining 30% of the total desired force. The test beam
was supported at the D2 and D6 intermediate transverse
diaphragms throughout the initial post-tensioning
operations and until its transport to the testing facility.
Figure 6 shows the transportation of the precast DT test
beam from the manufacturers precast yard in Windsor,
ON, to the testing facility in Chicago, IL. Final posttensioning was applied at the test facility with the beam
supported at the end diaphragms (D1 and D7) after
the placement of the concrete topping. The average
measured strand force after the initial post-tensioning
was 268 kN, while the average measured strand force
after the final post-tensioning was 449 kN. A similar
incremental approach was used to apply the final target
force (the remaining 40% of the total post-tensioning
force) before the start of testing. The average measured
force in the CFCC tendons just prior to testing was 443 kN.

TEST SETUP
As shown in Fig. 7, the DT test beam had a span length
of 20.4 m and was simply supported at both ends using
roller supports. The test beam was loaded along two
lines orthogonal to its longitudinal centerline to create a
3658-mm-wide constant moment region symmetrical
about its midspan. Along each line, load was applied at
two bearing points that were coincident with the beams
webs. Load was applied using a series of hydraulic jacks
with load and extension capability sufficient to induce
flexural failure. All loads applied to the beam during the
test were monitored using load cells. Beam displacements
at midspan and quarter span locations were monitored
using two displacement transducers at each location
attached to the underside of the two webs. In addition to
the applied loads and deflections, output from the
concrete strain gages installed for measuring strain
distribution at midspan and the two quarter-span
sections, and from the longitudinal CFCC strand load
cells, was also monitored during the flexural test. Output14
from instrumentation was monitored throughout the test

Fig. 5: Seven vibrating-wire strain gages at each of the two webs

of the DT test beam for transfer length measurement

Fig. 6: Transportation/barging of DT test beam across the Detroit

River as it traveled from the manufacturers precast yard
(Windsor, ON) to the testing facility (Chicago, IL)

Fig. 7: The test beam was loaded along two lines orthogonal to
its longitudinal centerline to create a constant moment region
symmetrical about the beams midspan
Concrete international

/ APRIL 2003

55

Fig. 8: The distribution of concrete strains along the depth of the test beams cross section after final post-tensioning. Strains are
shown at the beams midspan and two quarter span locations

and recorded at each load increment

using a digital data acquisition
system and a laptop computer. The
test results are discussed in the
following sections.

STRAIN DISTRIBUTION
Figure 8 shows the distribution of
concrete strains along the depth of
the cross sections (at midspan and
at the two quarter spans) after the
final post-tensioning. These data
indicate that the strain at the top
surface of the concrete topping (at
midspan) is small and tensile in
nature, whereas the strain throughout the depth of the cross section is
compressive. As expected, higher
compressive strain was developed at
the bottom of the beam at each
cross section location. The developed
service strain level was desired to
eliminate any potential cracking
problems under the service load/
traffic condition. We selected the
DT cross section dimensions and
the level and the arrangement of
prestressing tendons and posttensioning strands to prevent
cracking under service loads.14

ULTIMATE STRENGTH TEST

Fig. 9: Test beam response to the ultimate flexural load in terms of beam deflection

56 APRIL 2003 / Concrete international

To evaluate the ultimate flexural

strength of the test beam, it was
incrementally loaded to a total load
of 1304 kN and then unloaded (Fig. 9).

to be about 3.4 and 1.2 times the service moment,

respectively. In addition, the tested flexural strength was
about 1.6 times that of the calculated capacity. The beam
webs experienced significant cracking before the failure
load. Crushing of the concrete topping, followed by the
rupture of the internal prestressing tendons, initiated the
failure of the DT beam. However, none of the external
unbonded CFCC post-tensioning strands ruptured.
Acknowledgments

Fig. 10: Ultimate failure of DT test beam occurred in the constant

moment region along one side of the midspan diaphragm (D4)

We planned this loading and unloading sequence to

evaluate the inelastic energy absorbed in the system and
to predict the associated energy ratio, that is, the ratio
of inelastic energy absorbed to the total energy of the
system.8 After the initial loading and unloading sequence,
the beam was incrementally loaded to induce flexural
failure. The ultimate load applied during the test was
2443 kN. The average midspan deflection and the CFCC
strand force were observed to be 342 mm and 807 kN,
respectively. As shown in Fig. 10, the failure of the DT
beam occurred in the constant moment region along one
side of the skewed midspan diaphragm (D4) and the
failure plane extended across the width of the beam
following a 15 degree angle. The ultimate strength of the
DT beam was initiated by crushing of the concrete
topping, which was weaker in strength than the precast
concrete section. After the concrete topping failed, an
attempt was made to further increase the load; however,
the beam collapsed without any further increase in the
load (Fig. 9). Note that all 60 pretensioned CFRP tendons
ruptured at the failure load. The force in the four CFCC
post-tensioning strands nearly doubled during the test,
increasing from approximately 443 kN at the start to
807 kN (75% of the tensile capacity of the strands) at the
ultimate load. None of the CFCC strands ruptured nor did
their anchorages fail. Additional information on the DT
beam can be found in Reference 14.

CONCLUSIONS
Results of the full-scale test provided the design and
research team with adequate information to proceed with
the development of the design approach and construction
documents for the Bridge Street Bridge.11 The combined
internal and external prestressing induced the desired
compressive strains in the cross section, which balanced
the tensile strains induced by the applied load to prevent
service load cracking in the beam. The ultimate flexural
capacity and the cracking of the DT beam were determined

Prestressed Systems Inc. (PSI), Windsor, ON, manufactured the

DT-beam, and Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc. (CTL),
Skokie, IL, instrumented and tested the beam. Hubbell, Roth &
Clark, Inc. (HRC), Consulting Engineers, Bloomfield Hills, MI, was
the Engineer of Record and the Construction Manager. The City of
Southfield and the Federal Highway Administration jointly funded
the instrumentation and testing of the DT girder. The National
Science Foundation, Division of Civil and Mechanical System,
funded the research activities conducted in the Structural Testing
Center at Lawrence Technological University. Mitsubishi Chemical
Corp., Tokyo Rope Manufacturing Co. Ltd., ABM Corp., Sumitomo
Corp. of America, Mitsui & Co. (USA) Inc., and Autocon Composites,
Inc., also supported the ongoing research investigation. The
tireless efforts of undergraduate and graduate students, S. B. Singh,
and Thomas P. Murphy in this research are highly appreciated. The
comments provided by Gamil Tadros are also appreciated.

References
1. ACI Committee 440, State-of-the-Art Report on Fiber Reinforced
Plastic Reinforcement for Concrete Structures (440R-96), American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 1996, 153 pp.
2. Rizkalla, S. H., A New Generation of Civil Engineering Structures
and Bridges, Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on
Non-Metallic (FRPRC) Reinforcement for Concrete Structures, Sapporo,
Japan, V. 1, Oct. 1997, pp. 113-128.
3. Dolan, C. W., FRP Prestressing in the USA, Concrete International,
V. 21, No. 10, Oct. 1999, pp. 21-24.
4. Tadros, G., Provisions for Using FRP in the Canadian Highway
Bridge Design, Concrete International, V. 22, No. 7, July 2000, pp. 42-47.
5. Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE), Recommendation for
Design and Construction of Concrete Structures Using Continuous
Fiber Reinforcing Materials, Concrete Engineering Series 23, Japan
Society of Civil Engineers, Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 1997, 325 pp.
6. Grace, N. F., and Abdel-Sayed, G., Ductility of Prestressed
Concrete Bridges Using CFRP Strands, Concrete International, V. 20,
No. 6, June 1998, pp. 25-30.
7. Grace, N. F., and Abdel-Sayed, G., Behavior of Externally
Draped CFRP Tendons in Prestressed Concrete Bridges, PCI Journal,
V. 43, No. 5, Sept.-Oct. 1998, pp. 88-101.
8. Grace, N. F., Response of Continuous CFRP Prestressed
Concrete Bridges Under Static and Repeated Loadings, PCI Journal,
V. 45, No. 6, Nov.-Dec. 2000, pp. 84-102.
9. Grace, N. F., Transfer Length of CFRP/CFCC Strands for Double-T
Girders, PCI Journal, V. 45, No. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2000, pp. 110-126.
10. Grace, N. F.; Enomoto, T.; and Yagi, K., Behavior of CFCC and
CFRP Leadline Prestressing System in Bridge Construction, PCI
Journal, V. 47, No. 3, May-June 2002, pp. 90-103.
Concrete international

/ APRIL 2003

57

11. Grace, N. F.; Navarre, F.; Nacey, R. B.; Bonus, W.; and Collavino, L.,
Design Construction of Bridge Street BridgeFirst CFRP Bridge in
the USA, PCI Journal, V.47, No. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2002, pp. 20-35.
TM
12. Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Leadline Carbon Fiber
Tendons/Bars, Product Manual, 1994.
13. Tokyo Rope Mfg. Co. Ltd., Technical Data on CFCC, Product
Manual, 1993.
14. Grace, N. F.; Navarre, F.; Abdel-Sayed, G.; Nacey, R.; and Bonus,
W., Evaluation of CFRP/CFCC Full-Scale DT Beam, Experimental

ACI member George Abdel-Sayed is

Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University
of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada. He is a
member of the board of the Canadian
Network on Advanced Composite
Materials in Bridges and Structures.

Study, PCI Journal (accepted for publication).

Received and reviewed under Institute publication policies.

ACI member Nabil F. Grace is a Professor

and Chair of the Civil Engineering
Department at Lawrence Technological
University, Southfield, MI. He is a member
of ACI Committee 440, Fiber Reinforced
Polymer Reinforcement.

1/4 PAGE AD HERE

ACI member Frederick C. Navarre , Senior

Associate and Chief Structural Engineer,
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc., Bloomfield
Hills, MI, served as Project Engineer for
the Bridge Street Bridge Project. He
received his bachelors degree in civil
engineering from Wayne State University.

Richard B. Nacey , Senior Project

Engineer, Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.,
Bloomfield Hills, MI, served as Project
Structural Engineer for the Bridge
Street Bridge Project. He received his
bachelors degree in civil engineering
from Michigan State University and his
masters degree in civil engineering from
Wayne State University.

Wayne Bonus is the Administrative

Engineer for the City of Southfield, MI.
He has served as project manager on a
variety of diverse projects during his 14
years with the city, including the citys
Project Engineer for the Bridge Street
Bridge Project. He received his BS in civil
engineering from Wayne State University.

Loris Collavino is President of The

Prestressed Group (Prestressed Systems
Inc. and Hollowcore Inc.). He is an active
member of the Board of Directors for the
Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete
Institute and President of the Michigan
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Association.
CIRCLE READER CARD #10

58 APRIL 2003 / Concrete international