Field Retrofit and Testing of a Corroded Metal Culvert Using GFRP

One of the current pressing problem for all DOTs is the corrosion-oriented deterioration of the existing metal culverts. These metal culverts typically are designed for a life of 50 years. However, corrosion is making them last no longer than 30years. Here we propose use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) pipe section as a fit-in GFRP profile liner for complete repair and rehabilitation of the corroded metal culvert with an expected life of 75 years. This is mainly because of the corrosion free nature of the GFRP material. In the current study, the design method for using glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) slip liner to retrofit CMP culvert is presented. Furthermore, this report presents field implementation of retrofitting of a 24 in corroded corrugated metal pipe embedded that is 25 ft span and buried below 18 of soil. The corroded corrugated metal pipe was retrofitted with a 22 in diameter GFRP slip liner. Load testing before and after the retrofitting proves the efficiency of the proposed retrofitting system and its ability to extend the service life of the retrofitted pipe.